Eglise Saint-Martin
ChurchHidden Treasure
At the heart of the Périgord, the église Saint-Martin de Coulaures reveals an octagonal dome adorned with sculpted capitals and a 15th-century fresco concealed behind a monumental altar — a little-known Romanesque treasure.
History
Nestling in the peaceful village of Coulaures in the Dordogne, the church of Saint-Martin is one of those discreet jewels of Romanesque Périgord that only the initiated really know. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1948, it brings together in a modest space several centuries of sacred art, from the 12th-century Romanesque to the 15th-century Gothic additions, forming an ensemble of remarkable architectural coherence. What immediately sets Saint-Martin de Coulaures apart is the profusion of its sculpted decoration. The capitals of the octagonal dome rival each other in their inventiveness: hieratic figures, fantastic creatures with gaping mouths, interlacing vegetation and geometrical patterns bear witness to the genius of the Romanesque stonemasons, who transformed each stone into a story to be deciphered. The attentive visitor will also notice the capitals of the porch, where figures dressed in Romanesque robes seem to be frozen in an eternal procession. Inside, there is a major surprise in store: a monumental 15th-century altar in front of the Romanesque choir partly conceals a fresco from the same period. Paradoxically, this involuntary veil has protected the mural from the ravages of time and clumsy restoration work. For those who know how to look, the space between the altar and the left-hand side wall offers a glimpse of fragments of colour that make us dream of what might one day be revealed. A visit to Saint-Martin is a natural part of a tour of Romanesque churches in the Périgord Vert, the area north of the Dordogne where Romanesque art has flourished with remarkable density. The peacefulness of the village, the birdsong in the adjoining cemetery, the tall grass between the tombstones - everything contributes to making this stopover a timeless experience, far removed from the tourist crowds that flock to Périgueux or Les Eyzies.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Martin in Coulaures belongs to the Périgord Romanesque style, characterised by the use of a cupola to cover the nave. Its layout comprises a single nave, flanked by side chapels added in the 15th century, which extends into a choir with a semi-circular apse. The whole is crowned by an octagonal dome in line with the bell tower, a technical and aesthetic solution that is emblematic of the region. The western facade features a semi-circular porch decorated with diamond points, a recurring ornamental motif in Romanesque sculpture in the south-west, particularly in the portals of the Saintonge region. The porch columns bear historiated capitals depicting figures draped in pleated robes characteristic of the 12th-century Romanesque style. Inside, the octagonal dome is the highlight of the building. It rests on corbels carved from local limestone and opens onto the bell tower through a semi-circular bay with a double drip moulding. The capitals supporting the dome feature a remarkably rich range of sculptures: full-length figures, fantastic animals in dynamic poses and geometric interlacing. The Romanesque choir, partially concealed by the 15th-century Baroque altar, retains its engaged colonnettes and its round-headed bays, which are now blocked up and whose splaying is evidence of the thickness of the original masonry. The 15th-century Gothic fresco, hidden behind the altar on the left-hand side, probably depicts a hagiographic scene relating to Saint Martin, patron saint of the church, and is a rare example of medieval wall painting in this part of the Périgord Vert.
Related Figures
Saint Martin de Tours — patron de l'église, évêque et évangélisateur de la Gaule au IVe siècle, dont le culte est à l'origine de la dédicaceSeigneurs de Coulaures — commanditaires présumés de la construction romane au XIIe siècle, vassaux du comte du PérigordMaîtres tailleurs de pierre périgourdins — sculpteurs anonymes du XIIe siècle responsables des chapiteaux historiés de la coupole et du porcheArtistes peintres anonymes du XVe siècle — auteurs de la fresque murale dissimulée derrière l'autel monumentalInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1948) — responsables de l'instruction ayant abouti à l'inscription protectrice de l'édifice
