The Église Saint-Jacques is the oldest building in Bergerac, founded in the 12th century as a stop for pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela. The Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion both took heavy tolls — the church was twice partially destroyed and rebuilt — so the surviving fabric is a layered mix of Romanesque, Gothic, and 19th-century work.
The interior is plain and unfashionable, but the scallop-shell motifs over the doorways are a clear reminder of the Saint-Jacques connection, and the carved corbels along the nave reward a slow look. The church sits on a quiet corner of the old town and is rarely busy; it is also one of the few buildings here that is consistently cool on a hot summer afternoon.