Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix, located in Allas-les-Mines (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
- Allas-les-Mines, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8333, 1.0739
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082317
Nestled in the heart of the Périgord Noir, the église Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix d'Allas-les-Mines reveals a Gothic portal with three archivolts and a wall belfry pierced by bell openings of a rare rural elegance.
History
Nestling among the wooded paths of the Périgord Noir, the village of Allas-les-Mines is home to a little-known gem of Romanesque and Gothic art from the Languedoc region: the church of Saint-Martin and Sainte-Croix, whose sun-gilded limestone tells the story of more than seven centuries of sacred history and community life. Listed as a monument since 1984, it bears witness to the discreet architectural wealth that dots the Dordogne, far from the crowds but not far from its beauty. What immediately distinguishes the building is the skilful composition of its western façade, divided into three horizontal registers like a stone altarpiece. The Gothic portal with its three tiers-point archivolts, whose arches fall onto a sculpted band running the full depth of the portal as a capital, reveals a level of decorative care that is unusual for a rural church of this size. The small columns with sculpted bases that extend the archivolts add a medieval delicacy to the whole. Inside, the nave with its three cross-vaulted bays offers a sober and luminous atmosphere of meditation. The third bay, flanked by two side chapels opening onto large round arches supported by pilasters, creates the illusion of a transept that enlivens the space and breaks the linearity of the nave. The choir, crowned by a cul-de-four, forms the focal point of the interior composition, bathing the apse in soft, diffused light. Attentive visitors will not miss the cylindrical stair turret set against the south-western flank of the façade, pierced with loopholes that recall the defensive role the building may have played during certain troubled periods of the Hundred Years' War. A sculpted female head adorns the turret, a mysterious addition that invites contemplation and interpretation. Two carved heraldic escutcheons under the flower-bed of the third register complete this unexpectedly rich iconographic programme. The church blends harmoniously into the rolling Périgord landscape, surrounded by its ancient village cemetery and the gentle hills covered in oak trees and crops. A must-see for any lover of medieval art in search of authenticity, far from the region's overcrowded tourist circuits.
Architecture
The church of Saint-Martin and Sainte-Croix belongs to the tradition of southern Gothic architecture, tinged with persistent Romanesque influences, typical of 14th-century Périgord. Its simple longitudinal plan - a nave with three bays, a false transept and a choir with an apse - reflects a functional and communal logic typical of rural parish buildings. The nave's cross vaults are less sophisticated than the ribbed vaults of the great cathedrals, but they are nonetheless carefully proportioned and give the interior a characteristic robustness. The two side chapels in the third bay, opened by large round arches supported on pilasters, create a very successful transept effect. The chancel ends in a cul-de-four, a direct legacy of the Romanesque tradition that continued in Périgord buildings long after the advent of the Gothic style. The west facade is the centrepiece of the building and concentrates most of the ornamental programme. Organised in three horizontal registers delimited by flowerbeds, the first level features a portal with three archivolts in tiers-point of great finesse, whose sculpted band running as a capital along the entire depth of the portal bears witness to a proven technical mastery. The second register, framed by two buttresses extending the jambs, features a semi-circular bay that lights up the nave. The third register houses the rectilinear wall-belfry, pierced by three segmental-arched bell windows. The cylindrical turret with loopholes to the south-west, adorned with a sculpted female head, and the two heraldic escutcheons - one with three quadrupeds, the other with two quadrupeds and a bovid's head - further enrich the façade with highly interesting heraldic and decorative iconography.
Related Figures
Le sire de Turenne — seigneur féodal qui mena le siège d'Allas en 1439, libérant le bourg de l'occupation anglaiseLes chanoines de la collégiale de Saint-Cyprien — collateurs de la paroisse d'Allas au Moyen Âge, responsables de la nomination des desservantsLes archiprêtres de Paleyrac — autorités ecclésiastiques dont dépendait l'église au XIIIe siècleLe commanditaire anonyme des écussons héraldiques — seigneur local dont les armes sont sculptées sur la façade, probablement lié à la construction du XIVe siècleLes maîtres maçons périgourdins du XIVe siècle — artisans anonymes qui ont réalisé le portail sculpté et la façade à trois registres
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix located?
Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix is located in Allas-les-Mines, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix built?
Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Martin et Sainte-Croix is currently closed to visitors.