The church in Luchon, dedicated to Notre Dame de l’Assomption, was built during the Second Empire under the direction of the architect Loupot, and completed in 1857.
Of varied architectural inspiration, the plan is in the Southern Gothic style, while the facades are in the Romanesque-Lombard style, in the spirit of the churches in the Luchon valleys.
At the request of Mayor Charles Tron, the old 12th-century church was demolished in 1850 on the grounds that it had become too small to accommodate the crowds of spa visitors and tourists who flocked to Luchon. The new church has a capacity of around 600. However, vestiges of the old church still remain, the main one being the Gothic north side portal. A listed historic monument, this white Saint-Béat marble portal is decorated with scallop shells on the 2 side entablatures, a reminder that we are on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Gallo-Roman remains and a cemetery were discovered in 1977. A number of sarcophagi are on display at the foot of the church.
On the north side of the church, a small square with the presbytery in the background retains a very village feel. The limestone of which the church is made has the particularity of being bluish, veined with white. The bell tower has 4 bells: the first dates from 1596 and has been listed since 1942, 2 other bells date from 1832 and the last was cast in 1923.
Inside the church, the frescoes are the work of the painter Romain Cazes, a disciple of Ingres. Early in his career, Romain Cazes offered the parish priest of Montauban de Luchon 2 drawings imbued with a deep religious feeling. A few years later, while the painter was convalescing in Luchon, the abbot, who had not forgotten the talent of his young friend, asked him to decorate the church of Saint-Mamet, which was being rebuilt, with paintings and frescoes. In view of the quality of this work, Romain Cazes was then asked to create the frescoes for the church in Luchon, followed by those for the Thermes. After 4 years’ work from 1852 to 1856, these frescoes formed 3 major compositions: the Coronation of Mary, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and the Divine Liturgy. The architect Loupot’s decoration project was to make this spa church a holy reference for the benefits of water. To illustrate Cazes’ work, the people of Luchon themselves were used as models.
The monumental organ inside the church is decorated with angel musicians and is said to have come from an English church.
