Saint-Volusien, Foix

Abbatial church in Foix, France
42°58′01″N 1°36′24″E / 42.96690°N 1.60669°E / 42.96690; 1.60669BuiltMiddle Ages
17th-centuryArchitectural style(s)RomanesqueGoverning bodyAugustinians
Monument historique
Official nameÉglise Saint-VolusienDesignatedJuly 30, 1964Reference no.PA00093794
Monument historique
Official nameOrgue de tribune : buffet d'orgueDesignatedNovember 17, 1997Reference no.PM09000984
Saint-Volusien, Foix is located in Occitanie
Saint-Volusien, Foix
Location of Saint-Volusien abbatial church in Occitanie

The Church of Saint-Volusien is an abbatial church in Foix, Ariège in southwestern France. It already existed in the 12th century and was re-built and renovated several times.

History

In 1104, the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine (Augustinians) took possession of the abbey that housed the relics of saint Volusianus of Tours.[1] They decided to build a three-nave church with a transept. In the 14th century, the Romanesque apse was replaced with a polygonal choir.

During the French Wars of Religion, the abbey was destroyed and the relics were burnt. The reconstruction works started in 1609 and probably ended around 1670 when the new vault was installed. The Medieval church still has remnants of the portal and the base of the nave's walls.[2]

The church was classified as a Historic Monument in 1964.[3]

Organ

The church already had an organ in 1502, but little is known about it.[4]

The current 40-stops romantic organ was installed by Leroy-Legendre & Fermis père & fils in 1869 and restored by Lucien Simon and Jean-Pascal Villard in 2004.[4] It was classified as a Historic Monument object on November 17, 1997.[5]

Gallery

  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • The nave
    The nave
  • The sanctuary
    The sanctuary
  • The organ
    The organ
  • Entombment
    Entombment

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abbatiale Saint-Volusien de Foix.
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  1. ^ Dubourg, Jacques (2009). Les abbayes de Midi-Pyrénées (in French). Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire: Éditions Alan Sutton. pp. 27–32. ISBN 978-2-8138-0020-6.
  2. ^ Durliat, Marcel; Allègre, Victor (1978). Pyrénées romanes. la nuit des temps No. 30 La Pierre-qui-Vire (in French). Éditions Zodiaque. pp. 44–56. ISBN 978-2-7369-0142-4.
  3. ^ Base Mérimée: Eglise Saint-Volusien, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  4. ^ a b "Grand Orgue de l'abbatiale Saint-Volusien (Foix)". toulouse-les-orgues.org (in French).
  5. ^ Base Palissy: Orgue de tribune : buffet d'orgue (PM09000984), Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)