Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste, located in Fanlac (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Fanlac, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.0652, 1.0965
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082557
A fortress of God in Périgord, this twelfth-century Romanesque church still bears the scars of the Hundred Years' War - right down to its bas-relief of a one-armed lord, a forgotten hero of the anti-English resistance.
History
Perched in the Perigord bocage, the Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist in Fanlac is one of those buildings that tell the story of France to those who know how to read stone. Built in the 12th century not as a simple place of prayer but as a veritable fortress, it is a perfect illustration of the singular tradition of "fortress churches" in the South-West, where the sacred and the military merged into an architecture of survival. What immediately distinguishes Fanlac from other rural churches in the Dordogne is the disturbing consistency of its defensive appearance. The thick walls, massive buttresses and austere curve of the nave are more reminiscent of a keep than a house of God. And yet it was here that generations of villagers came to seek refuge in times of war - and where a local lord lost his arm to defend them. This stone bas-relief, set into the north wall of the nave, depicts this one-armed figure with striking economy of means: all the more powerful for it. The visit also offers an unintentional lesson in architecture: as you enter the church, you cross several centuries in just a few steps. The chancel with its flat chevet, remodelled in the 15th century, sits side by side with the classical bell tower plastered in 1704, whose four registers, punctuated by flowerbeds and crowned by a circular pediment, stand in stark contrast to the Romanesque roughness of the nave. The two side chapels under the pediment, the large windows opened in the 17th century in place of the old loopholes, and the door with triglyphs and metopes make up a fascinating architectural palimpsest. The setting adds to the experience: Fanlac is a quiet village in the Périgord Noir, a stone's throw from the oak forests and steep-sided valleys for which the region is famous. The church stands out against an often luminous sky, its limestone taking on golden hues as the sun sets. Photographers and lovers of medieval history will find it a rare treat, far from the crowds of Sarlat or Les Eyzies.
Architecture
The Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist belongs to the family of fortified Romanesque buildings in Périgord, a type of architecture developed in the region from the 12th century onwards in response to the military imperatives of a troubled era. The single nave, robust and compact, extends into a choir with a flat chevet - a sober liturgical solution, common in the small rural parishes of the medieval Midi. Preceding the triumphal arch, two side chapels arranged symmetrically under a pediment provide a welcome spatial rhythm and betray the influence of the late Renaissance or early Classicism. Externally, the defensive aspect remains striking: the walls are made of thick local limestone, the original openings were reduced to simple loopholes - replaced in the 17th century by large bays - and the buttresses accentuate the austere silhouette of the whole. The 1704 bell tower, set into the façade, is the most striking architectural contrast: its four ordered registers, horizontal flowerbeds and circular pediment are part of an elegant provincial classicism, directly inspired by models from Bordeaux and Paris. The entrance door, with its panel decorated with triglyphs and Doric metopes, completes this classical vocabulary with a certain coherence. Inside, the bas-relief carved into the north wall of the nave, depicting the one-armed lord of La Jalaye, is the most precious of the surviving sculptures - as much a historical document as a work of art.
Related Figures
Le seigneur de La Jalaye — défenseur de l'église contre les Anglais durant la guerre de Cent Ans, y perdit son bras droit, commémoré par le bas-relief de la nefBâtisseur anonyme du XIIe siècle — commanditaire probable de la fortification initiale de l'édificeMaître d'œuvre anonyme de 1704 — architecte ou maçon ayant conçu le clocher classique et la porte à triglyphesClergé paroissial médiéval — gardiens successifs du lieu et acteurs de ses transformations liturgiques aux XVe et XVIIe siècles
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste located?
Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste is located in Fanlac, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste built?
Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste open to visitors?
Eglise de la Décollation de Saint-Jean-Baptiste is currently closed to visitors.
