Jean Nouvel's doors the architect closed the former chancel with two steel doors more than 15 metres high, each weighing over 5.7 tonnes.
Sarlat-la-Canéda
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Listed historic monument
Église Sainte-Marie
XIVᵉ–XVᵉ siècles · réhabilitée en 2001 · Sarlat-la-Canéda
Église Sainte-Marie
The former church turned covered market
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The former Église Sainte-Marie, today a covered market
Listed historic monument·XIVᵉ–XVᵉ siècles · réhabilitée en 2001·Mérimée PA00082930
Built from 1365 and consecrated in 1507, this Gothic church, deconsecrated during the Revolution, was transformed in 2001 by the architect Jean Nouvel into a covered market, closed by two monumental steel doors.
1365First foundations
1507Consecration
1905Listed as a Monument Historique
2001Jean Nouvel's market
History
The story, stage by stage
Scroll down to follow the monument's evolution. A one-minute read.
1365
1365Laying the foundations
The first foundations are laid in 1365 to replace the parish church.
1479
1479Work resumes
The architect Pierre Esclanche builds the first bay, the façade, the great door and the bell tower.
1507
1507The consecration
The church is consecrated on 5 April 1507 by Bishop Armand de Gontaut-Biron.
1794
1794Deconsecration
The church is deconsecrated and then sold off in parcels; its nave is put to secular uses.
2001
2001Rehabilitation by Jean Nouvel
The architect transforms the building into a covered market and closes it with two monumental steel doors.
Key figures
The great figures involved
Figure 1 of 2
The places
Explore the building
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Did you know?
3 things to remember
A lift in the bell tower a panoramic lift installed in the bell tower rises to a height of 35 metres, offering a 360° view over the town.
A church turned shop deconsecrated during the Revolution, the nave served as a bakery, a wood and coal store, a post office and even a dispensary.
The site's future
And after the market?
Turned into a covered market under Jean Nouvel's hand, the former church could host many other uses at the hours when the stalls are packed away. It's up to you to imagine them.
248 habitants ont déjà donné leur avis · la commune s'en saisira.
Evening cultural venue
Concerts, screenings and exhibitions in the nave, on evenings when the market has closed.
151 votes
Bell-tower belvedere
Extend the opening hours of the panoramic lift and its 360° view over the town.
118 votes
Farmers' market
A regular gathering devoted to short supply chains and the flavours of the Périgord.
64 votes
Taste workshop
A shared kitchen and cooking workshops beneath the Gothic vaults.
37 votes
Another idea for this place?Propose your vision: it will be put to the vote and passed on to the town.
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Questions
The questions we get asked
Why is a church used as a market?
Deconsecrated during the Revolution in 1794, the church was sold off in lots and put to every use, from bakery to dispensary. Jean Nouvel turned it into a covered market in 2001.
What are the steel doors?
Two anthracite steel leaves 15.60 metres high, weighing 5.7 tonnes each, designed by Jean Nouvel and delivered in 2000. They were made by a firm that builds lock gates, and swing open like a giant shutter on market days.
Can you go up the bell tower?
Yes, a glass panoramic lift was installed in 2012, also designed by Jean Nouvel. It rises thirty-five metres to a platform with a 360° view over the lauze roofs, the cathedral and the Lantern of the Dead.
When is the market held?
The open-air market is held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings around the church, on the same spot for eight centuries. The covered market, inside the former nave, opens on more days depending on the season.
3,8· 10 avis de visiteurs
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Tanja Carter
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Intéressant
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L’architecture
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Map & access
Getting there
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Support Sainte-Marie church project
Every donation directly funds the upkeep and restoration of this monument.
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