Besse

Besse may refer to:

See also

Besse, Cantal

Besse is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.

Geography

The Maronne river forms the commune's northern border.

Population

See also

References

Besse, Dordogne

Besse is a commune in the Dordogne department in southwestern France.

Church

The church of St Martin, Besse, dates from the late 11thc. It was part of a Benedictine priory, replaced by Augustines in the 13thc, and was constructed by the old château of Besse.

What remains now is the part of the nave closest to the transept, and the West façade with the porch. The rest of the nave was built during the 12thc with a guard room above. The walls are pierced with loopholes for the archers and other defensive measures during the Hundred Years' War. The English were repulsed but by 1454 church and village were in a state of abandon. The lord of the village, Raymond-Bernard de Gauléjac brought new tenants in from Quercy and Rouergue.

The church became the parish church in the 14thc. The transept and the choir date from the 15thc. In the following century, the church depended on the canonical chapter of Biron. In 1648, the church was restored with materials from the old château.

In 1961, paintings were discovered in the South transept.