Église de l'Assomption-de-la-Très-Sainte-Vierge

English translation

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History

There existed in the 9th century a vicarage and probably a Merovingian or Carolingian cella. A Romanesque church was built in 1084 of which some elements remain (a transverse arch). The present building was rebuilt in 1497, following the wars which devastated it. Of Latin-cross plan, the church is composed of a single nave of three bays demarcated by transverse arches, a transept with unequal transepts and terminates in a sanctuary with a flat chevet. A chapel opens to the south in the third bay, dating from the 16th century and preserving traces of paintings on the ribs. The whole is rib vaulted. The arch separating nave and transept is pointed. It appears that it is a transverse arch from the Romanesque church which preceded the 15th-century building. A hexagonal bell tower, a form rarely present in Limousin, is set against the southwest angle of the first bay. Its first level is composed of a hexagonal room covered with a cupola. The south wall is pierced by a portal with three slightly pointed arches. It is adorned with almond tori falling on columns through the intermediary of leafed capitals. A cordon resting on masks frames it. This portal is one of the rare examples of the 15th century in Limousin. A rectangular turret staircase adjoins it. Above the drip moulding is found a small figure holding a shield in the right hand, an escutcheon in the left hand. The second level is crowned by a moulded triangular pediment. This building is a good example of rural Limousin architecture of the late 15th and 16th century.