St. Martin's Church

The Saint-Martin church is a Catholic church located in Montagnac-sur-Lède, France.

HISTORY,

The church was founded by the Saisimentum of 1271 under the name of PARROCHIA DE MONTANHACO. The patron saint was Saint Martin de Tours and the feast day was set for November 11.

Built in Romanesque style, it suffered a lot from Huguenot vandalism during the Wars of Religion, so much so that Nicolas de Villars wrote in 1601 in his Memoirs: "The church is completely uncovered except for what covers the altar, which is completely ruined. No services are held there.

Mascaron's report describes it as follows: the church is rural, in a valley, 7 rods long, 3 wide, 4 high. There are around that time 15 or 16 Huguenot houses in the village."

In 1739, Monsieur de Chabannes states: "There are three chapels on the side' of the Gospel along the nave whose vaults are cracked." "On the other hand, in 1769, Monsieur de Bonnac states, 'The three chapels of Notre Dame, Saint Louis and Saint Eutrope are in good condition." Restored in 1850, the roof was raised by one meter and a vault replaced the wainscoting. Three chapels were built on the right side of the building and a little later, six windows were pierced in the nave, which was devoid of them, the days being taken in the chapels.

The two bells are dated 1761 and 1884 respectively.

DESCRIPTION.

The choir is vast and of a remarkable architecture. Vaulted in a barrel vault, it is separated from the "cul-de-four" of the apse by a doubleau. A semi-circular arcature on columns surrounds the hemicycle. This sanctuary, the only part that dates back to the Romanesque period, has no buttresses. Most of the capitals are decorated with a single row of well-cut leaves. The volutes of the corners, deeply excavated, are attached to each other by links in relief, similar to those of the ironworks. The three bays of the nave are covered with simple ribbed windows. The chapels have double crossings, reinforced with tiercerons. The last of the aediculae was built in 1545, as attested by the inscription on one of the supports: L'M DXLV MAISTRE J

SERAING CURE OF CAU

RIS FIST MAKE THE LFN CHA

GOD'S HOE SHOVEL

OF OUR LADY OF MERCY

AND S. J. EVANGELIST

In a side chapel, there is a curious gilded wooden altar from the Renaissance period. Also worth mentioning is an ancient statue of Saint Philomena.

The eastern facade is flanked by two small square turrets connected at a certain height by a gallery cantilevered over several courses. Behind this crenellated gallery, a gable with arcades rises to form the bell tower.

This church, whose size seems important, served, a little more than a century ago, a parish that still counted 923 souls!...