Église Saint-Cucufat

English translation

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History

Saint-Couat-d'Aude has preserved its ancient church virtually intact, with its Lombard decorations. The first mention of the "cellula in honore S. Cucufati" dates back to 814. The church is cited in 899. From its origin, it depended on the abbey of Lagrasse. The building comprises a nave of four bays without vaulting (12th century), separated by stilted arches, a semi-circular chevet decorated with Lombard bands (probably from the 11th century or earlier), lateral chapels on either side of the first bay and a porch to the south of the fourth bay. The exterior of the chevet was enlarged in 1882. The Lombard bands consist of seven series of three arcatures supported by six narrow lesenes. In each series of triple arcatures, each arch is composed of seven voussoirs bearing separately on a small undecorated corbel. The spandrels are filled with a triangular or trapezoidal stone. Above, tangent to the extrados of the arches, runs a cornice with very short elements, profiled with a chamfer (without a listel). Enlargement of the exterior windows in 1882. The choir was externally higher than the chevet, even before later heightening. The Lombard bands are partly concealed, to the south, by the chapel built in the 16th century. A repair in one of the arcatures allows us to suppose, with some differences between the masonry of the walls of the nave and choir, that the nave should be attributed to a second campaign. The western wall was surmounted by a small bell cote which was replaced around 1925.