Prieuré Saint-Pierre de Carennac

Carennac

Attested from 932, Carennac was given around 1047–1048 to the great abbey of Cluny, which established a prosperous priory there, raised to the honorary rank of deanery in 1295. The present church was built around 1090–1110; around 1150 the porch and its celebrated portal were added, whose carved tympanum shows Christ in Majesty in his mandorla, surrounded by the apostles — a Romanesque masterpiece related to the workshops of Cadouin and Cahors. Ruined by the Hundred Years' War, the priory was extensively restored between 1478 and 1507 under Dean Jean Dubrueilh, who in particular had the cloister rebuilt, combining Romanesque and Flamboyant Gothic galleries. In 1674, François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon became Dean of Carennac, a dignity held by his family in the 17th century; local tradition has it that the future author of the Adventures of Telemachus liked to write in this village on the banks of the Dordogne. Suppressed by royal decree in 1787, the monastery was sold as national property in 1791. The ensemble — church, cloister, deans' château — today makes the reputation of this village listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France.

Getting there : In the centre of the village of Carennac (46110), left bank of the Dordogne; parking at the entrances to the listed village, church freely visited, cloister and deans' château (heritage centre) reached from the priory courtyard.

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

Ambient sound