Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste, located in Saint-Nexans (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
- Saint-Nexans, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8041, 0.5479
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082881
Heir to a twelfth-century Templar commandery, the église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Nexans captivates with its dome on pendentives and its sculpted capitals of rare refinement, living witnesses to the presence of the Knights Templar in Périgord.
History
Nestling in the heart of the Périgord Noir region, the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Saint-Nexans is one of those discreet buildings that harbour an unsuspected depth of history. Formerly the chapel of a Templar commandery founded in the 12th century, it has survived the centuries, fires and destruction to come down to us in remarkable condition, having been listed as a historic monument since 1963. What immediately sets this building apart is the quality of its sculpted decoration. The central portal of the bell-tower facade features four voussoirs decorated with an astonishingly vivid medieval bestiary: birds clashing, chimerical animals, characters and geometric motifs follow one another on the capitals with a freedom of invention typical of the Périgord Romanesque workshops of the 12th century. This symbolic language, inherited from both the Romanesque tradition and the Templar imagination, invites a true iconographic reading. Inside, the atmosphere is more serious and contemplative. The single nave leads to the choir, covered by a beautiful dome on pendentives with a circular base - a technical solution characteristic of the Romanesque churches of Périgord, a pioneering region for this type of vaulting in France. Three pointed arches lighten the side walls, giving the space a sober, balanced elegance, far removed from any pomp and circumstance. A visit to Saint-Jean-Baptiste is a natural part of an itinerary devoted to the Templar heritage of Périgord. Just a stone's throw from the Condat-sur-Vézère commandery on which the priory depended, the church is a rare testimony to the presence of military orders in the French medieval countryside. Far from the tourist crowds, it retains an authenticity and silence that add to the emotion of its heritage. The hedged farmland of Saint-Nexans, a rural commune in the Dordogne, adds a soothing landscape dimension to the experience. Golden limestone, Perigordian skies, lush vegetation: all the ingredients for a beautiful escape off the beaten track are here around this little-known monument.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste is fully in keeping with the tradition of 12th-century Périgord Romanesque architecture, characterised by its volumetric sobriety and its use of the dome on pendentives, a technical solution developed with particular mastery in this region. The building, built on a simple rectangular plan, consists of a single nave extended by a choir with a flat chevet - a common feature of castral chapels and small monastic commissioned buildings. The choir is covered by a dome on pendentives with a circular base, whose formal sobriety does not exclude a certain spatial grandeur. Three pointed arches, projecting from the eaves walls, punctuate the interior space and are reminiscent of the layout of the large domed naves of Périgueux cathedral and Souillac abbey church. The western façade is undeniably the building's crowning glory. It takes the form of an overhanging bell tower, an architectural type that is very common in the Périgord and Agenais regions. There are three portals: two small, sober side portals flank a much more elaborate central portal, decorated with four concentric voussoirs whose keystones and capitals feature a remarkably rich programme of carvings - birds facing each other, real and imaginary animals, figures and geometric interlacing, all themes typical of the southern Romanesque repertoire. The pillars that once supported these voussoirs have now disappeared, slightly weakening the overall impression but not altering the beauty of the decoration. The upper part of the bell tower, rebuilt in the 17th century, introduces a slight stylistic break that can be seen in the treatment of the bays and the crowning of the tower.
Related Figures
Les Templiers de la commanderie de Condat-sur-Vézère (fondateurs de la commanderie de Saint-Nexans, XIIe siècle)Philippe IV le Bel (roi de France, ordonna en 1307 l'arrestation des Templiers, bouleversant le destin de la commanderie)Clément V (pape, prononça la dissolution de l'Ordre du Temple au concile de Vienne en 1312)Les Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem (successeurs des Templiers, héritiers de la commanderie à partir de 1312)Jacques de Molay (dernier grand maître des Templiers, brûlé en 1314, figure symbolique liée à la disparition de l'ordre)
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste located?
Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste is located in Saint-Nexans, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste built?
Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste is currently closed to visitors.