Let's discover an enigmatic place in Villeneuve d'Aveyron! Visigothic past, pre-Romanesque heritage… the guided tour of the church of Toulongergues has many surprises in store for us.
It's an understatement to say that visiting the Toulongergues church takes me back to my childhood... The last time I saw the site, I was 13, and it was a barn! What a long way to restore the building to its former glory!
A pre-Romanesque church on the Villeneuve plateau
After taking the beautiful little country roads of the Causse region from Villefranche-de-Rouergue , via Saint-Rémy , we arrive at the hamlet of Toulongergues. Hidden around a bend in the path, the church stands before us with its beautiful light-colored stones, brown tiles, and limestone slabs. We are the first ones there. While waiting for the guide, we descend to the wash house, a few meters below. Dry stone walls, oak trees, a large dovecote… the surrounding landscapes add to the charm of the place. Here, there's no doubt: we are on the Causse!
Start of the guided tour: a thousand-year-old history
Ludovic, our guide, joins our small group to begin the tour. In the shade of a large oak tree, where a gentle breeze can be felt, we listen to his introduction. He presents the region, its geological features, and its history. We discover that this site succeeded several places of worship built much earlier by humankind! Surrounded by nature, his commentary transports us back to the time of the Visigoths , a people who occupied the entire region after the fall of the Roman Empire, and about whom we almost never hear.
This is where the story of the church of Toulongergues begins , built over an ancient spring. Ludovic tells us about these astonishing buildings, "with rounded corners and a flat apse," as the specialists describe them, which dot the Rouergue region along the Villefranche-de-Rouergue fault line. Most have disappeared, some still stand, and only one boasts painted and sculpted decorations : the church of Toulongergues! It features, in particular, horseshoe arches, or "keyhole arches," like those found in Islamic architecture: exceptional! Standing at the apse of the church, I feel like I'm losing my mind. I thought there used to be a large door, but it's no longer there. The adjoining prior's residence, which was in ruins in the early 1990s, has been restored to its former glory. Ludovic explains that it was the current owner who brought it back to life. Well done Mr. Poujade for your work!
A mysterious building
We entered the church, a small privilege since it's only accessible on guided tours. And there, to my surprise, I was amazed by the evolution the building had undergone since my childhood! I remembered a stable with animals, stone troughs for feeding them, bundles of wood, the low ceiling above which nuts were dried… And in reality, I was in a church, just as it had been in its early days! Its shape and height astonished me. Ludovic took the time to explain all its unique features, its transformations over the centuries, and its majestic decor! Over 1,000 years old, the building still retains magnificent traces of polychromy . From the representation of the evangelists to that of the Virgin on her deathbed, passing through the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham and the astonishing hetimass, the decorations are revealed to us through the commentary of our guide.
This guided tour reveals the unsuspected richness of the place. I would never have believed that a building, so modest on the outside, could deliver so many elements while knowing that it retains a great deal of mystery...
Want to take this guided tour?
To enter the church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul de Toulongergues, it is necessary to follow a guided tour. These are offered by the tourist office during spring, summer and autumn holidays as well as on the occasion of European Heritage Days.
Toulongergues 12260 Villeneuve
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