The Sainte-Madeleine church in Courrensan appeared in the 1555th century. in the sources, in the form of the foundation, in XNUMX, of a chapel dedicated to the Madeleine in the parish church.
Indeed, the primitive church, initially dedicated to Saint Martin then, it seems, to Saint Martial, was not originally located in the village, but outside the village, on the right bank of the Auzoue, if we are to believe the places remaining in the land register. This original church must have seen its use decline in modern times, because the Sainte-Madeleine church, established in the suburb of Courrensan (is this the foundation of 1555, or its transfer?), already has the parish title around 1673, Saint-Martial having become its annex. The village itself is an XNUMXth century castelnau, a voluntary and organized urbanization on a barred spur, dominated by a castle. The territory of Courrensan falls under the viscounty of Lomagne, whose holders undoubtedly had the initiative of this incastellamento. Like many foundations of this type, the Castelnau de Courrensan did not originally have a church, and it is in the immediate vicinity of the enclosure, outside it, that the place of worship is came to settle later, perhaps moreover within the framework of a second deliberate urbanization, because the suburb, symptomatically called "the Bastide", also bears the mark of a regular layout, with two parallel streets.
Although very simple, the building has a somewhat turbulent history and underwent substantial reform in the 1760th century. Originally, it was a rectangular building, with a flat apse, covered in frames: it is difficult to be more modest in terms of architectural ambition. A small square bell tower flanks it to the west, the entrance is to the south, under a wooden porch. The construction is however careful, in a medium limestone structure, still visible on the north wall, which suggests that in this place the church leaned against the wall of the fortified suburb (it dominates the escarpment of the valley) , or formed part of his defense. In the 1884th century, the lord of Courrensan, Gérard Dupleix de Cadignan, had a chapel built to the north, dedicated to the Virgin, then provided decoration for the choir, with a set of paneling, altar and altarpiece. Canonically, however, he is not the patron of the church, because since the 1888th century and a donation from the Viscount of Lomagne, the parish has belonged to the priory of Saint-Mont, which itself comes under the abbey of Cluny . The prior of Saint-Mont collects the tithes, appoints the priest and provides for the practice of worship and the repairs of the building. But the owner of the castle could legitimately, as a parishioner primarily concerned, have a little more ambitions for the local church, and assign to the chapel built around 1894 a typical funerary function for his family. The Revolution (which also saw the disappearance of the old Saint-Martial church) closed the Sainte-Madeleine church for a time and delivered its bells to the war effort. After the Concordat, the building, which had remained without maintenance, was reopened, but its precarious state is highlighted in numerous visit reports; in particular, the ceiling, the roof, the staircase of the bell tower, repaired or redone, for whatever reason, are gradually deteriorating. Money is lacking, the municipality cannot or does not want to incur costs. Ultimately, it was bequests made to the factory which led to a dynamic of modernization: a new sacristy was built to the east, a chapel was arranged symmetrically to that of the Dupleix de Cadignan, forming a false transept, the porch was demolished, the old walled door and the entrance transferred to the west, through a vestibule which encompasses the base of the bell tower. This is raised and has a pointed pavilion roof covered with slates, the frame, the roof and the ceiling of the nave are redone. All this work was carried out from 1960 to 1911, and the town ultimately had to pay a good part of the expense. The interior decor was completed: a painter from Lectoure, Lasseran, painted the walls and ceiling in XNUMX (this decor will disappear in XNUMX). In XNUMX, Father Darblade took pride in the theory of statues which populate his church: the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Joan of Arc...
For more than twenty years, numerous cracks appearing in the walls of the north side chapel, built where the slope breaks, and in the sacristy, as well as weaknesses in the framework, have worried those responsible: a municipal decree closed the church to the public in 1998. A geotechnical expertise carried out in 2003 was alarming regarding the stability conditions. However, the preliminary study entrusted to Mr. Pierre Cadot, heritage architect, and submitted in 2005, made it possible to put the scope of the disorders into perspective, by placing them in the historical context of the vicissitudes of the building: pragmatic and phased solutions. over time could thus be proposed, outlining a perspective for the restoration and reopening of this church.
Although very simple, the building has a somewhat turbulent history and underwent substantial reform in the 1760th century. Originally, it was a rectangular building, with a flat apse, covered in frames: it is difficult to be more modest in terms of architectural ambition. A small square bell tower flanks it to the west, the entrance is to the south, under a wooden porch. The construction is however careful, in a medium limestone structure, still visible on the north wall, which suggests that in this place the church leaned against the wall of the fortified suburb (it dominates the escarpment of the valley) , or formed part of his defense. In the 1884th century, the lord of Courrensan, Gérard Dupleix de Cadignan, had a chapel built to the north, dedicated to the Virgin, then provided decoration for the choir, with a set of paneling, altar and altarpiece. Canonically, however, he is not the patron of the church, because since the 1888th century and a donation from the Viscount of Lomagne, the parish has belonged to the priory of Saint-Mont, which itself comes under the abbey of Cluny . The prior of Saint-Mont collects the tithes, appoints the priest and provides for the practice of worship and the repairs of the building. But the owner of the castle could legitimately, as a parishioner primarily concerned, have a little more ambitions for the local church, and assign to the chapel built around 1894 a typical funerary function for his family. The Revolution (which also saw the disappearance of the old Saint-Martial church) closed the Sainte-Madeleine church for a time and delivered its bells to the war effort. After the Concordat, the building, which had remained without maintenance, was reopened, but its precarious state is highlighted in numerous visit reports; in particular, the ceiling, the roof, the staircase of the bell tower, repaired or redone, for whatever reason, are gradually deteriorating. Money is lacking, the municipality cannot or does not want to incur costs. Ultimately, it was bequests made to the factory which led to a dynamic of modernization: a new sacristy was built to the east, a chapel was arranged symmetrically to that of the Dupleix de Cadignan, forming a false transept, the porch was demolished, the old walled door and the entrance transferred to the west, through a vestibule which encompasses the base of the bell tower. This is raised and has a pointed pavilion roof covered with slates, the frame, the roof and the ceiling of the nave are redone. All this work was carried out from 1960 to 1911, and the town ultimately had to pay a good part of the expense. The interior decor was completed: a painter from Lectoure, Lasseran, painted the walls and ceiling in XNUMX (this decor will disappear in XNUMX). In XNUMX, Father Darblade took pride in the theory of statues which populate his church: the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Joan of Arc...
For more than twenty years, numerous cracks appearing in the walls of the north side chapel, built where the slope breaks, and in the sacristy, as well as weaknesses in the framework, have worried those responsible: a municipal decree closed the church to the public in 1998. A geotechnical expertise carried out in 2003 was alarming regarding the stability conditions. However, the preliminary study entrusted to Mr. Pierre Cadot, heritage architect, and submitted in 2005, made it possible to put the scope of the disorders into perspective, by placing them in the historical context of the vicissitudes of the building: pragmatic and phased solutions. over time could thus be proposed, outlining a perspective for the restoration and reopening of this church.