Eglise des Graulges
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise des Graulges, located in Les Graulges (Dordogne), 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
- Les Graulges, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.4957, 0.4412
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082570
Nestling in the Périgord region, Graulges church boasts an exceptional Romanesque façade: its arcatures decorated with capitals carved with animals and foliage make it a discreet jewel of the 12th century.
History
In the heart of the Périgord Vert region, the village of Les Graulges boasts a Romanesque church whose sober stonework conceals a surprising wealth of ornament. Away from the beaten tourist track, this listed monument since 1936 invites the attentive visitor to slow down and decipher the messages carved into the limestone. The building belongs to that family of rural churches in the Périgord region which, without ever seeking excess, achieve a form of perfection in the balance between austerity and decoration. What makes the church of Les Graulges truly unique is its western façade: a row of Romanesque arcatures, initially seven in number, crowned with sawtooth archivolts, rest on slender columns whose capitals are adorned with stylised foliage and animal figures. This medieval bestiary, both decorative and symbolic, bears witness to the skills of the itinerant 12th-century stonemasons who travelled the Périgord and Limousin regions. The interior reveals a remarkably coherent liturgical space: a single nave leads to a square choir, covered by a dome on pendentives, a typically Poitevin-Périgourdin device that gives this modest building an unexpected verticality and light. The bell tower above the choir, although altered at the top, contributes to the characteristic silhouette of the tower-belfries that dot the hedged farmland of the Dordogne. A visit to the church at Les Graulges is an intimate experience of the Middle Ages: no crowds, no staging, just the gentle hills of the surrounding Périgord Vert. Photographers will find striking contrasts between the sculpted reliefs in the slanting morning or late afternoon light. Lovers of Romanesque art will find in each capital an iconographic vocabulary common to the whole of medieval Europe, expressed here with a resolutely Périgord accent.
Architecture
The church at Les Graulges belongs to the Périgord Romanesque style in its most sober and rural variant. The plan is extremely simple: a single nave, with no side aisles, is extended by a flat chevet, in stark contrast to the Benedictine tradition of chevets with radiating apses. This compact layout, which was economical in terms of materials and labour, was well suited to the small rural parishes of the Périgord. The square choir is covered by a dome with pendentives, a structural and aesthetic feature characteristic of the Périgord Romanesque school, which can be found in buildings throughout the region, from Périgueux cathedral to the humblest village chapels. The western façade is the most remarkable part of the building. It is enlivened by a row of blind arcatures - originally seven - whose archivolts are decorated with the sawtooth motif, also known as billets or chevrons, very common in southern and Atlantic Romanesque art. These arcatures rest on slender monolithic columns whose carved capitals feature a varied ornamental repertoire: stylised foliage scrolls, confronting or intertwined animals and geometric motifs. This sculptural vocabulary, which is both decorative and symbolic, is typical of the workshops active in Saintonge, Angoumois and Périgord during the 12th century. The portal, remodelled at a later date, and the top of the facade, partly rebuilt, introduce a slight stylistic break that is easily detected by the trained eye. The bell tower, located above the choir, has a square tower silhouette, the lower parts of which date from the medieval period, while the crown is a later reconstruction. The masonry, probably made of local limestone like almost all the Romanesque buildings in the Périgord region, has the warm, slightly golden tones typical of this region.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques au XIXe siècle, initiateur du recensement du patrimoine roman périgourdinArtisans tailleurs de pierre itinérants du XIIe siècle — auteurs des chapiteaux sculptés et des arcatures de la façadeCurés de la paroisse des Graulges — gardiens anonymes de l'édifice à travers les sièclesArchitectes des Bâtiments de France — intervenus lors des travaux de consolidation et d'entretien au XXe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise des Graulges located?
Eglise des Graulges is located in Les Graulges, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise des Graulges built?
Eglise des Graulges dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise des Graulges open to visitors?
Eglise des Graulges is currently closed to visitors.