Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame, located in Uzeste (Gironde), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Uzeste, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.4418, -0.3239
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083855
Founded by Pope Clement V in the heart of the Gironde, the collegiate church of Notre-Dame d'Uzeste houses the pontifical tomb of one of the key figures of the Great Schism — a little-known and striking Gothic gem.
History
In the heart of the village of Uzeste, nestling in the Landes region of Gironde, the collegiate church of Notre-Dame rises up like an unexpected apparition: too big, too majestic for such a small town, it bears the overweening ambition of a man who was at once archbishop, cardinal and pope. Founded at the turn of the 14th century by Bertrand de Got, a native of the region who became Clement V, the church is both a masterpiece of Aquitaine Gothic architecture and the funerary monument of one of the most controversial popes in medieval history. What makes the collegiate church absolutely unique is the tension between the modest setting of the village and the architectural grandeur of the building. Sixteen slender pillars punctuate a nave with three naves crowned by high pointed arches, while above the choir rises a hexagonal tower - a rarity in Bordeaux religious architecture - pierced with windows on each of its six sides and crowned with an openwork gallery. The whole structure exudes an elegance that is both rigorous and luminous, typical of the Southern Gothic style. The tomb of Clement V, restored after the Huguenot sacking of 1577, still stands in the nave, the recumbent figure of a prelate who dreamt of a universal Church from Avignon. Traces of medieval frescoes can still be seen in the side chapels - fragile reminders of the rich iconography that has disappeared - inviting us to imagine the original brilliance of these walls, now softened by the centuries. Uzeste, a tranquil village surrounded by pine forests, offers a setting for a visit of rare serenity. Far from the crowds that besiege the more famous cathedrals, the collegiate church can be explored at your own pace, almost in intimacy. It's a complete change of scenery: here, history can be read without an imperative guide, in the complicit silence of the Gothic vaults and the golden light of the Bordeaux region.
Architecture
The collegiate church of Notre-Dame d'Uzeste elegantly illustrates the canons of Aquitaine's Southern Gothic style as it developed at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its three-vessel plan - a central nave flanked by two aisles - extends into an ambulatory that encircles the sanctuary, allowing the faithful to move around the choir in a layout inherited from the great pilgrimages. Sixteen pillars, symmetrically distributed throughout the space, support high pointed arches that give the interior a striking verticality, accentuated by the relative thinness of the supports. The most remarkable feature of the building is undoubtedly the hexagonal tower that crowns the sanctuary. This formal choice - six faces instead of the more common square or octagonal plan - is an outstanding rarity in the religious architecture of the south-west. Each face is pierced by a lancet window, flooding the choir with diffused, balanced light, while the gallery that crowns the tower adds an almost palatial decorative dimension to the whole. The golden limestone roof, typical of local production, gives the building the warm colour so characteristic of the Bordeaux region. Inside, the tomb of Clement V is the centrepiece of the furnishings: a white marble recumbent representing the Pope in pontifical vestments, resting beneath an architectural canopy. The side chapels contain fragments of medieval frescoes, with pigments that are still vivid in places, suggesting an ambitious iconographic programme. The stained glass windows, some of which were redone or restored in the 19th century, filter a colourful light that blends harmoniously with the blonde stone of the pillars.
Related Figures
Clément V (Bertrand de Got) — pape de 1305 à 1314, fondateur de la collégiale et figure historique majeure de la papauté avignonnaiseBertrand de Got avant sa tiare — archevêque de Bordeaux (1299-1305), initiateur du projet architectural dès cette périodeJean XXII — successeur de Clément V, il confirme le statut de collégiale d'Uzeste en 1316Les chanoines d'Uzeste — communauté de douze chanoines et quatorze prébendiers qui animèrent la vie liturgique de la collégiale pendant des sièclesPhilippe le Bel — roi de France dont les relations tendues avec Clément V conditionnèrent toute la politique pontificale, y compris la dissolution des Templiers en 1312
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame located?
Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame is located in Uzeste, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame built?
Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame open to visitors?
Eglise collégiale Notre-Dame is currently closed to visitors.