Church of Puech Mignon

Puech Mignon's time The High Middle Ages Puech Mignon made its first appearance around 972, in the will of a high personality of the southern nobility, Garsinde, widow of Raymond, dit Pons, count of Toulouse. This controversial text clearly reflects, however, the existence of a dense and ancient parish and monastic fabric in this portion of the Aveyron valley. The Benedictine monks of Varen, beneficiaries of this pious donation and themselves dependent on the abbey of Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac, founded a rural priory there which depended on their deanery until its secularization in 1561. The time of wars and reconstructions The Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion hold their share of destruction ... and reconstruction. The decade 1380 ends with the capture of Laguépie by the men in arms in the service of the English and the repurchase of Puech Mignon (1382), that is to say the payment of a real war tax, to dislodge them . The visitors sent in 1419 on behalf of the bishop of Rodez could collect only from the dean of Varen two books for Puech Mignon.The lords of the place, Lautrec well established in the surroundings from the twelfth century and Puech Mignon in the fourteenth, rebuild the castle and perhaps the church after 1460. From this time probably dates the north side chapel, traditionally designated as stately chapel. Despite this, the bishop estimated in 1495 that reconstruction was necessary. In 1561, a new church was built. Cardinal d'Ossat, dean of the Varen chapter, in 1603 allocated a sum of 60 pounds to repair the vaults of the nave. With the resurgence of plague epidemics, Saint Roch experienced an increase in devotion. A chapel, that of Lautrec, has been dedicated to it at least since 1635. From the 18th to the 21st century In the 18th century, the work had to be taken over by the parish priest. However, the serious fire of February 19, 1821 necessitated a complete redevelopment. Overshadowed by its parochial title, the church of Puech Mignon, from the early 1870s, lost even its liturgical furnishings, which the locals strived to reconstruct.In the meantime, it had acquired the superb tabernacle which constitutes its most prestigious ornament. Listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments in 1997, it has been the subject of a restoration campaign since 1999. Many rich and exceptional decorations compose it. The restoration of the altar and the altarpiece was done by Françoise Vorms, established in Mas-Grenier. she is a restorer of golden and polychrome woods, graduated from the Boule school in Paris. The altarpiece was in very poor condition, it stayed a year and a half in her workshop, and after a lot of worries, she did a magnificent job by repairing the joinery and restoring the altarpiece and gold leaf. 'altar. The church can be visited by asking for the keys in the vicinity or by prior appointment.