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A little history of Espalion church

The church | akial / CC-BY-SA
Parish church Espalion church

Our church was mentioned first in a text dating back to 1060: Hugues de Calmont and his wife gave their monastery of Perse to Conques abbey. Conques was, at that time, managed by abbot Odolric, who had just raised the abbot church of Sainte-Foy.

This one strangely looked like church of Perse! Did Odolric build the two churches?

Perse became the parish church of Espalion, during the Middle-Ages. But when inhabitants moved a little further, towards bridge over river Lot, it lost its importance... It became the cemetery chapel.

And then, the decadence began: in 1312, 5 monks left in the priory... One century later... 2 monks! During wars of Religion, the priory was completely destroyed.

But let's talk about the little church itself: it has a single nave, 3 bays and a transept. Choir ends by a polygonal apse with 2 apsidioles.

Those capitals (11th century) represent plenty of characters: soldiers, knights fighting wild beasts... We can see same capitals in the church of Conques and the cathedral of St-Sernin (Toulouse).

Now, come with me: look at the portal! Oh, you'll recognize this scene: a Pentecost, with the Virgin surrounds by apostles, a dove (the Holy Spirit) flying down on her. On the lintel, the Doomsday. Once again, it looks like the Doomsday in Conques abbey...

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!