SAINT JEAN CHURCH

About

Dating from the 11th to 14th centuries, the Romanesque church has been altered over the centuries. The 15th-century murals can be admired at events such as markets, guided tours, evening visits and the European Heritage Days.

In the centre of the village, the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste immediately catches the eye with its impressive crenellated bell tower-wall. Built in the 14thᵉ century in the Gothic style, it contains some real architectural and artistic treasures. To discover the interior of the church, simply contact the Town Hall: a guided tour or the provision of a key will open the doors to this place steeped in history. Admire the Gothic portal: its sculpted arches, known as voussures, are decorated with chimeras that are half-bird, half-reptile – creatures inspired by the basilisk of Greek mythology. The interior of the church consists of a wide nave extended by a pentagonal rib-vaulted choir. Beneath the sober architecture lies an exceptional painted decoration, frescoed in the early XVIᵉ century. On the north wall of the nave, a series of fifteen scenes illustrate the key moments of Christ’s Passion, from the entry into Jerusalem to the burial. The choir’s triumphal arch is brighter and features a scene of the Annunciation. A black band punctuated with coats of arms, known as a funerary litre, runs along the inside walls. It pays tribute to the lord of Villemur, who died in Montaut in 1571, and whose coat of arms appears on the choir’s keystone. The central vault features Christ in glory, surrounded by the Tetramorph – the four symbols of the evangelists: lion, bull, eagle and winged man. The back wall features the two Saints John: the Evangelist and the Baptist, dominated by a representation of the Last Supper. On the south wall, several scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist are illustrated, from his birth to his martyrdom.

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