Exterior of the Church

The main masonry is made of country stone. The freestone is of Menet. The church - as indicated above - is shaped as a Latin cross, with only one nave. Outside, the choir ends in an hemicycle. But there is no architectural sign either inside or outside. Everything is primitive and simple. The outside walls are supported by freestone buttresses, but they are posterior to the masonry. The church does not bear any date, only one small external cross in relief on the stone that crowns the casement in the middle of the choir. External dimensions are 26 meters in length and 17 meters in total width, the nave along being 9,5 meters wide.

Gate and Church Tower

The church has two gates: a main gate, and an ordinary one on the side.

The main gate opening on the main side of the church tower has a beautiful Romanesque shape. It is decorated with three lines of round columns.

No date or inscription.

The small gate is also in a romanesque style and is surmounted by a semi circular arch cut in relief and decorated of two columns with capitals. The quadrangular church tower is placed at the church entrance. It is surmounted by an arrow which carries an immense lightning conductor. The tower is 20 meters high and the arrow 8 meters. The cost of the construction was about 20.000 francs.

Presently there are three bells, the main one was refounded in 1893. They bear the following inscriptions:

1st Bell:

" Sit Nomum Dominum Benedictum

Paroisse de la Monselie, Madame Marie Henriette Legros Vve DUTHU
Jean François NOËL fondateur de l'église R.F.
Administration municipale : RAYNAL A. maire, DUMAS F. adjoint, PRANGERE F., BERNARD J., ALBESSARD J., CHAUDIERE G., ARMAND, BOBOUL L., ESPINOUSE P., BERNARD J., FLORET B. et POMMARAT A. conseillers municipaux 1893.

Fonderies POUREL Villefranche Aveyron "

et au dessous mais après coup gravés au burin ces mots :

M. DUMAS, curé

This bell was cracked. The town council took the responsibility of having it re-founded. Things then did not go badly. But when the very new bell was delivered to la Monselie, bearing in relief the names of the mayor and all the city council men, the priest, whose name had been overlooked, began to shout at the non-religious bell, strongly opposed to have it mounted on the church tower. The fight between the priest and the town council lasted several months. Finally, the latter grew tired of resisting and agreed to have the name of the priest engraved on the bell which was then put in place. The priest had a great victory over the town council.

2nd Bell:

Sancta Maria ora pro nobis

Paroisse de la Monselie, bienfaitrice Madame Henriette LEGROS Vve DUTHU
On me nomme Françoise Marie et de ma marraine Henriette Angéline GROOTKAMP SABATIER
1 er curé Ant. M DELTEIL
Fait par CAZES POURCEL. "

3rd Bell:

""Sit nomum Domini Benedictum. Sancta Maria ora pro nobis
Paroisse de la Monselie, bienfaitrice Mme Marie Henriette LEGROS Vve DUTHU
On me nomme Françoise Marie, de mon parrain François SABATIER et de ma marraine Marie Anne SABATIER.
1 er Curé A.M. DELTEIL. "REMETTRE INSCRIPTIONS EN FRANCAIS ET LATIN