On the north wall is the small treasury in a glass fronted cabinet. Off it is a small apse with a cloth covered altar and small reredos. The north transept has a crucifix on the west wall. There are old choir stalls with misericords. On the pillars is a crucifix, statue of Mary with the Christ Child with a sacre coeur on his chest. The transepts have round top arches and there is a wooden table altar in the middle of the transept. The wide side aisles and the ambulatory around the chancel were designed to help the movement of medieval pilgrims. There is a carved wooden pulpit with sounding board above on a north pillar. The west end has two large Romanesque windows at the bottom with three narrower pointed windows above, all with stained glass. Above the arches in the nave are very small double Roman windows, which have now been blocked in, with a central pillar. The side aisles have plain glass Romanesque windows. The nave is very tall and the pillars continue upwards to form the ribs of the barrel ceiling. which have a series of round arches along them. Big multi-angular pillars and arches separate nave and the wide side aisles. Steps lead down into the huge church which after the bright sunlight outside feels dark until our eyes had time to adjust. There are more on the wall to the west of the porch. The door jambs are carved with figures and there are more figures carved between the pillars on the side walls of the porch. Other angels sound the trumpets to summon the dead who can be seen pushing open their coffin lids.īeneath, the lintel has a double row of carved monsters and snakes. Angels above him carry the crown of thorns, cross and nails. In the centre is the figure of Christ in Majesty with arms wide to welcome the blessed. Set under semi circular arches, it is a scene of the Second Coming. This is dominated by the superb carved tympanum above the doorway. It was dissolved during the Revolution and destroyed apart from the church and chapter house.Įntry is through the South door set under a massive stone porch. The abbey declined in importance during the Hundred Years war and the Wars of Religion. The massive square tower at the west end was built in the 14thC and was also the town’s belfry. The south door is 12thC and the west front is 13thC. The chancel, south transept and much of nave are 11thC and are very elegant Romanesque work with carved corbels, round apses and a variety of roof lines. All that remains of the abbey is the Abbey Church, Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, although there are tantalising glimpses of the remains of the cloister wall on the north side of the church. There has been a monastery on this site since the 9thC.
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