the Church of Campagnac and its predominantly neo-Gothic eclectic style

The Campagnac church, built from 1895 to 1899

Dedicated to Sainte-Foy , and built from 1895 to 1899 on the plans of Henri Pons (1849 1909), Departmental Architect of Aveyron, builder of the church of sacred heart in Rodez. It was built in limestone from Les Clapouses, near Canac, in the predominantly neo-Gothic eclectic style fashionable at the time. The surroundings were cleared by the demolition of the presbytery in 1935 (replaced by a public garden), then of the adjoining house. The joints in relief are characteristic of this architect. The tympanum (1900) is the work of Casimir Serpantié (1855-1949), local painter and sculptor. It represents the martyr of Sainte-Foy.
Inside, the furniture is executed according to the plans of Henri Pons or André Boyer (1880-1953) his successor in 1909:

• Stations of the Cross (1899) with copper painting by Chové-Beau in Paris and sculpted frame by Firmin Laur , cabinetmaker-sculptor in Rodez. Lucien Chovet, established in 1866 in the Saint-Sulpice district, specializes in the sale of religious furniture
• White marble altars and stoups (1900) from the Reilhac, Saint Laurent et Cie marble factory in Toulouse.
• Confessional (1900) and stalls (1901) by Xavier Fournier, de Pomayrols
• Chair (1912) by Firmin Laure (dismantled).

The stained glass windows (1899) are from the Dagrant house in Bordeaux, active from 1864 to 1970. Gustave Pierre Dagrant was appointed glass painter to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome in 1888. At the end of the 19th century the company occupied around fifty 'workers.
The bust of Monsignor Verdier (1925) and Joseph Mallet (1873-1946), sculptor from Millau, author of the statue of the entomologist Fabre in Saint-Léons and many monuments around Campagnac (Sévérac-le-château, Saint-Geniez, etc.)

The old church

Demolished in 1895 , the old church consisted of parts added to a Romanesque church from the 11th century : side chapel from the 14th and 15th century, aisle, gallery, facade and pinnacles from the 18th century. Poorly maintained in the 19th century, the church deteriorated and its solidity was called into question. Considered a bastard style, too small for the size of the population, and unworthy of a county town, they preferred to demolish it to build a new one. The following remains remain :

• 3 Romanesque capitals
• The base of the 4 half-columns of the nave (reused at the Cross of According).
• The baptismal font
• the Rosary altarpiece made in 1676 by the sculptor Antoine Gastal de Saint-Geniez (listed as a Historic Monument).

Abbé Pierre Verdier (1854 1924), parish priest from 1889 to 1901, initiated the project to rebuild the Church in 1892. Its cost (59,000 francs) was 80% financed by the inhabitants. The donations from Sylvie Serpentié (1812-1896) and the parish priest (respectively 15,000 and 5,000 francs, i.e. one third of the total cost) were decisive. Abbé Verdier was appointed auxiliary bishop of Rodez in 1917.
The project gave rise to a political crisis between pros and cons which lasted 2 years (1892-1894) and caused the resignation of the mayor. The priest is the target of anonymous attacks in the press. The works began in February 1895, but the contractor, influenced by the main opponent, stopped them in August and did not resume them until 2 and a half years later, in February 1898, after legal action.

-Texts of the Association " Living in Campagnac and its Hamlets "-

find out more about Campagnac and its region:
Campagnac Town Hall
Tourist Office of the Causses in Aubrac
Community of Communes of the Causses in Aubrac