Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Marcilhac-sur-Célé

Marcilhac-sur-Célé

The name of Marcilhac appears as early as 654 in the will of Saint Desiderius, and the Benedictine cella was placed under the protection of Pepin II of Aquitaine around 845–848. Having become an independent abbey in the 10th century and enriched by the viscounts and counts of the region, it had its abbey church built in the middle of the 11th century. In 1030 the church of Rocamadour was given to it: when that sanctuary became a great pilgrimage, the abbey tore itself apart with Tulle in an interminable lawsuit, closed in 1193 to its disadvantage. Ruined by the Hundred Years' War, it was rebuilt in Gothic style in the 14th–15th centuries (pentagonal east end, transept, 17th-century woodwork), before the Protestants burnt the church during the Wars of Religion. Secularised in 1750, it became a parish church. What remains is a striking ensemble: a Romanesque nave open to the sky with mighty pillars and carved capitals, and a chapter house of around 1125 with historiated capitals. Tradition relates that Henry IV stayed in 1580 in a neighbouring half-timbered house. Church and cloister ruins have been listed as historic monuments since 20 November 1906.

Getting there : In the heart of the village of Marcilhac-sur-Célé (46160), rue des Remparts, in the Célé valley between Cahors and Figeac; parking in the village, free and respectful access to the site (dogs not allowed), walking trail passing by the abbey and the neighbouring dolmens.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound