OPUS
Héritage
FR
Sarlat-la-Canéda

Listed historic monument

Église Sainte-Marie

XIVᵉ–XVᵉ siècles · réhabilitée en 2001 · Sarlat-la-Canéda

Free · just an email · 360° interior

Église Sainte-Marie

The former church turned covered market

1 / 12

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.

  1. 1365

    1365

    Laying the foundations

    The first foundations are laid in 1365 to replace the parish church.

  2. 1479

    1479

    Work resumes

    The architect Pierre Esclanche builds the first bay, the façade, the great door and the bell tower.

  3. 1507

    1507

    The consecration

    The church is consecrated on 5 April 1507 by Bishop Armand de Gontaut-Biron.

  4. 1794

    1794

    Deconsecration

    The church is deconsecrated and then sold off in parcels; its nave is put to secular uses.

  5. 2001

    2001

    Rehabilitation 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

Did you know?

3 things to remember

15 m

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.

360°

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.

1794

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.

Map & access

Getting there

Nearby

Other monuments in Sarlat-la-Canéda

Listed

Private mansion · XIVᵉ–XVIIᵉ s.

Hôtel Plamon

Gothic, 14th–17th centuries; pointed-arch bays and a wrought-iron Louis XIII balcony.

Listed

Religious building · XIIᵉ–XVIIIᵉ s.

Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos

A former abbey church made a cathedral in 1317, blending a 12th-century Romanesque bell tower with a Gothic nave completed in the 17th century.

Show all monuments

Support this monument

Support Sainte-Marie church project

Every donation directly funds the upkeep and restoration of this monument.

Secure donation on dons.fondationdefrance.org · opens in a new tab