VISITE DE L’ÉGLISE DE SAINT-LAURENT ET SES PEINTURES DE RENÉ GASTON-LAGORRE

About

This summer, the Saint-Laurent Heritage Preservation Society is opening the doors of the church, whose interior is adorned with magnificent paintings by René Gaston-Lagorre. It’s well worth a visit!

René Gaston-Lagorre was a painter born in the United States in the early 20th century. As a teenager, he returned with his parents to study in Seix, in Ariège, where they were originally from. He studied fine art first in Toulouse and then in Paris. He won several awards at both schools and went on to become a world-renowned painter.

Shortly before the war, he was commissioned by Father Carrère of Montesquieu-Guittaut to create a work for the church of Saint-Laurent-sur-Save.

This immense masterpiece, entitled *The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence*, was painted at the Château de Montesquieu during the Second World War, before being installed in the church of Saint-Laurent. A real challenge for the time! He went on to produce a series of paintings for the church and was in great demand in the surrounding area, painting very large and magnificent works in L’Isle-en-Dodon on the four seasons and the earth as our provider, as well as a tribute to the Maquis de Meilhan, both during and after the Second World War, before moving on to put his talent to use in Boussens…

Saint-Laurent boasts a rich historical heritage, notably the priory and the church; a visit to the site will tell you more. Take a stroll through the village and discover the public weighbridge, the watermill on the canal, the dyke, the wash house…