1. Main interest of the church of Saint-Créac: the 16th century frescoes classified as a Historic Monument. The main attraction of the church of Saint-Créac is the Romanesque chevet adorned with Greco-Byzantine style murals dating from the 16th century, on the ceiling of the choir and on the walls on the north and south sides. A major campaign to restore the church began in 1832. These frescoes were completely restored in 1863 by the painter Toussaint Desbeaux: they justified their classification as Historical Monuments on December 5, 1908. They were renovated again in 1996 by Mrs. Pontelevy, painter artist, under the direction of the inspector of Historical Monuments of Gers at the time, Mrs. Sire. 2. History of the village and the church of Saint-Créac The village of Saint-Créac was probably founded during the Gallo-Roman era in the 4th or 5th century, after Roman Christians fled persecution in Rome to settle in the southwest of Gaulle, following the martyrdom of the deacon Saint-Cyriaque in the year 304. It is thus probable that these Christians founded a Roman villa named Saint-Cyriacus on the site of the current village, as tends to prove it the numerous coins with effigies notably of emperors Maximian and Diocletian (286-310) and the pieces of Roman dishes discovered on site (see the treasure of Saint-Créac at the archaeological museum of Eauze). And over time the name of Saint-Cyriacus changed to Saint-Ciriaque (or Saint-Cricq), then Saint-Céac. The church of Saint-Créac was built and enlarged in the XIIth century, probably from an earlier building. During the Hundred Years' War, the village undergoes the destructive assaults of Édouard Plantagenêt de Woodstock, known as the "Black Prince", Prince of Aquitaine (1330-1376), who destroyed all the village and the church in 1369 (him or one of his lieutenants!), of which only part of the apse and part of the North wall, dating from the 12th century, have been spared and still remain today (visible from the cemetery on the east side). This "Black Prince" of the Arratz invaded Saint-Créac and asked the Saint-Créacais to surrender, which they refused: they were all massacred. When works are carried out today in the village, it is not uncommon to find buried skeletons, testimony of these massacres, because at the end of 1369 Saint-Créac was only a vast cemetery. In the Middle Ages, it was said that the village had more than a thousand inhabitants. It is also said that a fortified castle existed at the south of the church, thus overflowing from the current road, as evidenced by some old stones in the surrounding ground. The church was then raised in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it is at this time that the frescoes of Byzantine inspiration were created. 3. Saint-Loup The church is dedicated to Saint-Loup. Saint Loup or Leu (Lupus in Latin), born in Orléans around 573, bishop of Sens around 614 and French Catholic saint; died in Brienon-sur-Armançon (department of Yonne, region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) on 1 September 623 (not to be confused with another Saint-Loup, bishop of Troyes, died in 479). Why Bishop Saint-Loup gave his name to the church of Saint-Créac, no one knows... To the left of Christ and the statue of Bishop Saint-Loup a reliquary is displayed on a credence table in the arch of the North chapel. It reads 'Ex ossibus Sti Lupi / Episcopi Senonensis' (= Os de St-Loup, Bishop of Sens). Inside the reliquary, in the glass tube containing the relic, a certificate signed by Archbishop Victor-Felix Bernadou on September 1, 1880, certifies that the bone is indeed of Bishop Saint-Loup! How did he do to check, mystery... 4. Other objects inscribed MH or of major interest in the church The church and the surrounding wall of the cemetery surrounding the church were registered as Historical Monuments in 1995, thus confirming the great historical interest of the church of Saint-Créac. 4.1. Two other objects of the church have been inscribed as Historic Monuments: o Sculpted group «Virgin of Mercy»: the pietà One can admire at the entrance of the church on the left under the gallery a remarkable polychrome wooden pietà from the 17th century, above the baptismal backgrounds. This sculpture in gilded wood needs serious restoration. This pietà was inscribed as a Historic Monument on May 12, 1997 o Bell foundry dated 1743: Two bells are hung on the bell tower wall of the church which has three locations: a bell melted in 1829 by Lorrain Augustin Martin; it was lowered, restored and hung up in 2008 by the company Bodet Campanaire; and a very old bell, dated 1743, the smallest, hanging to the right, looking towards the West, with inscriptions partly erased (probably during the revolution); its yoke/bell block was replaced in 2008. This bell dated 1743 was inscribed as a Historic Monument on December 22, 2008. 4.2. Roman capitals of the 12th century A set of two Romanesque capitals from the 12th century portal was found lying in a lean-to of the church in 1957. The archaeologists of Gers think that they come from the portal of the church rebuilt in 1861: it would be a clumsy representation of the theme of «the struggle between good and evil». They were identified and listed during the inventory carried out in 1979 by the DRAC. They had been stolen in 1957 and found at an antique dealer in Montauban by Mr. Henri Polge, curator of the Auch museum (see letter from Mr. Polge to Mr. Robert Mesuret, curator of the museums of Toulouse, dated 27 August 1957). They are now preserved by the Museum of the Americas in Auch. Discussions are underway to study the possibility of repatriating them to Saint-Créac and showcasing them under the entrance porch of the church, after appropriate arrangement and protection of the entrance. 4.3. Two angels of the eighteenth century Two polychrome terracotta sculptures representing an adoring angel from the 18th century (only the wings of the angels are made of wood) sit on either side of the main altar (which dates from the second empire, as well as the two North and South chapels). They are in a poor state of conservation and would deserve a complete restoration. Contacts have been made with the DRAC for their MH registration, which has given its agreement. 4.4. Mission cross The municipality of Saint-Créac has been working to restore its heritage for many years. The 19th century mission cross, which is located outside on the left when entering the church and which was severely damaged, has been restored thanks to the support of the Heritage Foundation and the subscription made by villagers and inhabitants of the region in 2015. 4.5. Vestry of the sacristy In 2017, the municipality also restored the sacristy’s chasuble (in very poor condition) which houses a collection of about twenty liturgical ornaments dating from the 18th/19th century of great value: it was restored by cabinetmaker Thierry Albert, of Sainte-Christie. 4.6. Way of the Cross Before the last renovation of the paintings in the nave, there was a Stations of the Cross hanging on the wall, low-relief sculptures made of an amalgam of plaster and wood sawdust. During the exhaustive inventory carried out by the Heritage Conservation of the Gers Department, it was identified that this Way of the Cross (of which 2 stations are missing: 11 and 12), which presents on each station the imperial emblem of Napoleon III, comes from a trip made in 1862 in Gers by the Empress Eugénie, who then donated it to the commune. The same Way of the Cross was identified in Fréchencourt in the Somme where it was listed as a Historic Monument. A complete restoration of that of Saint-Créac is necessary: it is currently under study and the Conservatrice du Gers has been asked to also classify it as MH. 4.7. Altars of the Second Empire The main marble altar and those of the North and South chapels date from the Second Empire (1852-1870). They were made by the Dasquier workshops of Toulouse. The main altar features marble statues of the Good Shepherd (Jesus) surrounded by the four evangelists: St-Luc and the bull, St-Jean and the eagle, St-Mathieu and the angel, St-Marc and the lion. The chapel on the north side, with the altar dedicated to St. Joseph, dates from 1863. The chapel on the south side, with the altar dedicated to the Holy Virgin, was built in 1861 thanks to donations from the Montaubric-Moulins family, as indicated by the south wall of the transept. 4.8. Stained-glass windows by the master glassmaker Amédée Bergès In addition to the stained glass above the altar, depicting Bishop Saint Loup on a damask background, patron of the church, on the east side of the choir, the master glassmaker Amédée Bergès de Toulouse (1861-1863) created two other stained glass windows in the north transepts (Joseph à l'enfant as central medallion) and the south (Virgin to the child handing over the rosary in St-Dominique). 4.9. Other objects of interest Outside the church, going down to the wash house 100m from the church, one can see a stone carved in reuse, above the arch of the fountain built around 1850 by Mr. Montaubric (also patron of the south chapel of the church): a semi-circular chrism 23 cm in diameter, probably coming from a window of the old Romanesque church of the 12th century. Chrism: a symbol dating from early Christianity, formed by the two Greek letters I (iota) and Χ (khi), the initials of Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Jesus Christ); then by the two Greek letters Χ(khi) and Ρ(rhô), the first two letters of the word Χριστός (Christ) Informations Sale to the public: A4 and A5 format photography books, A4 format printing brochure; photographs on A4 format paper and 50x70 canvas. Participation of visitors highly appreciated. NB: Reserved for wedding ceremony on Saturday 20 from 12pm to 4pm.

Address
50 rue de l'église, 32380 Saint-Créac, Gers, Occitanie, France