Sarlat Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos de Sarlat'') is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and former

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

located in

Sarlat-la-Canéda Sarlat-la-Canéda (; ), commonly known as Sarlat, is a commune in the southwestern French department of Dordogne, a part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Sarlat and La Canéda were distinct towns until merged into one commune in March 1965. Geography Th ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a national monument. The

Diocese of Sarlat The French Catholic diocese of Sarlat existed from 1317 to 1801. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801. Its territory passed to the diocese of Angoulême. The seat of the Bishop of Sarlat-la-Canéda, Sarlat was at Sarlat Cathedral, the Cat ...

was established in 1317 with a number of bishoprics in the region in the aftermath of the suppression of the

Albigensians Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi-dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a her ...

. The new bishop of Sarlat was the abbot of the ancient Sarlat Abbey, the church of which became the cathedral. Rebuilding began in 1504, but was not completed until the 1680s. (The belfry dates from the 9th century). The diocese was abolished under the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

and its territory was transferred to the Diocese of Périgueux. The dedication refers to Saint Sacerdos rather than to the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

term ''sacerdos'' ("priest"). There are two French saints called ''Sacerdos'', but the cathedral refers to

Sacerdos of Limoges Saint Sacerdos (Sacerdos de Calviac, Sardot, Sadroc, Sardou, Serdon, Serdot) of Limoges (670—c. 720) is a French saint. He was born near Sarlat and became a monk. He was the founder and abbot of Calviac Abbey. He was later appointed bishop of ...

, whose

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

it received during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Gallery

Sarlat-la-Canéda - Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos - 6.jpg, Details of the façade. Sarlat-la-Canéda - Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos - 7 HDR.jpg, General view of the interior. Sarlat-la-Canéda - Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos - 5.jpg, The choir. Sarlat-la-Canéda - Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos - 8.jpg, The pipe organ. Sarlat-la-Canéda - Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos - 4.jpg, View from behind the choir.

References

External links

* Former cathedrals in France Buildings and structures in Dordogne Churches in Nouvelle-Aquitaine {{France-RC-cathedral-stub