Eglise Saint-Michel

At the end of the XNUMXth century, on a small hill between the right bank of the Tarn and the town of Lescure, a monastic priory and a church were built attached to the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Michel de Gaillac.

The priory then had eleven monks. It disappeared in the 17th century but we can see two masonry doors used to communicate the church and the priory. Saint Michel de Lescure has the appearance of a fortress with rare openings, often narrow like loopholes.

This defensive organization can be explained by the turbulent history of the town in the Middle Ages. It is built from limestone blocks, topped by a square tower, placed in front of the apse. The western portal is a remarkable work, made after 1100, inspired by the Saint-Sernin gate in Toulouse. The portal is placed on three steps above which rise columns with historiated capitals, or with plant ornamentation, human and animal heads... The capitals of the portal columns represent the temptation of Adam and Eve, the sacrifice of 'Abraham, the bad rich man.