St. Antoine / Notre Dame de Marceille, Limoux

One of the enigma’s surrounding the church of Notre Dame de Marceille in Limoux.

In 1670, François Charles Fouquet, bishop of Narbonne (and brother of Nicolas Fouquet, Treasurer under Louis XIV). commissioned a painting of St. Augustine from Ambroise Frédeau. Frédeau painted his work on top of an existing painting of St. Antoine by David Teniers the Younger. We can be certain of that from recordings in the journal of Abbé Henri Gasc in 1859 and 1872 and better still, from an etching of the interior dated 1850. Abbé Henri Gasc is himself believed to have changed the St. Augustine back into St. Antoine around 1870 by removing his torch and overpainting the name of the artist with a rock (left corner). Was he removing possible clues? It is known that St. Augustine was present during the sack or Rome on 24^th August 410 by Alaric I and the Visigoths. Perhaps it was this, David Teniers painting that is connected to Saunière in some way. Many thanks to expert on Notre Dame de Marceille, Frank Daffos.