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A magnificent building which holds the title of co-cathedral of the Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat. It was listed as a historical monument in 1840.
The sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Sacerdos. There are two saints named Sacerdos in France, but the cathedral's patronage refers to Sacerdos of Limoges, whose relics were received by the cathedral in the Middle Ages. The relics disappeared during the Wars of Religion.
The Diocese of Sarlat was created in 1317, along with several other Catholic dioceses in the Aquitaine region, following the victory of the French royal forces over the Albigensian Cathar armies. Pope John XXII, former Bishop of Cahors, appointed the abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Sacerdos as the new bishop of the city. Thus, the former Romanesque abbey church became the cathedral of the diocese.
Reconstruction began in 1504, and Bishop Armand de Gontaud-Biron entrusted Master Builder Pierre Esclache with the task of building a new cathedral, initially carried out under the orders of Master Mason Blaise Bernard. Work was intermittent due to lack of funds, wars, and epidemics. It was not completed until the 1680s. The vaults were built from 1682 to 1685, under the episcopate of François III de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, Fénelon's uncle and godfather, tutor to the Dauphin, and Archbishop of Cambrai. The diocese was abolished during the Concordat of 1801, and its territory was incorporated into the Diocese of Périgueux.
Although reusing certain Romanesque parts of the old abbey church, the general style of the cathedral is Gothic of Nordic inspiration (presence of two side aisles). The Romanesque bell tower dates from the 12th century and is the oldest part of the building. It succeeded a Carolingian construction and underwent changes: the top floor dates from the 17th century and the bulbous belfry from the 18th century.
