The Sainte-Croix church of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, is located in Gironde, on the right bank of the Garonne which it dominates, a few kilometers north-west of Langon.
The building was erected in the 12th century in a Romanesque style, then composed of a single nave. Later, a chapel was added in the 15th century and the rise of the population led to successive changes.
In the 19th century, a decision was made to deconstruct a church with dimensions more in line with demography and the number of faithful and more generally responding to the neo-Gothic style.
Only remains the original Roman portal which moreover justified the inclusion of the whole in the Inventory. However, the portal has also been redesigned, with part of the capitals now deposited by the State at the castle of Castelnau, in the Lot.
The portal's most famous sculpted decorative element is its so-called "string pullers" arch. There are around thirty characters divided into two groups that seem to be effectively pulling a rope: this represents the community of the faithful uniting their efforts for the common good. At the level of each character, volutes symbolize the awakening to spirituality and the central character for his part, is adorned with palmettes which represent eternal life…
Inside the church, neo decorations and paintings -gothiques, as well as elements of furniture, symbolize the wealth of the parish.
Information on +33 5 56 62 01 39.
