Maurice Roth (1890-1972) Chancelade Abbey

Maurice ROTH
(Châtillon-sur-Loire, 1890 – Orthez, 1972)
Chancelade Abbey
Charcoal on paper
H. 24 cm; W. 16 cm
Countersigned
Circa 1950

Born in Châtillon-sur-Loire where his father was a pastor, he spent his childhood in Béarn, in Orthez where his father was sent the following year. He in turn became a pastor, like his brother Frantz, who died at the front in 1918. Maurice Roth, whose artistic career is unknown, was stationed in Périgueux between 1948 and 1956 before returning to Orthez until the end of his life.

It was during this stay in Périgord that Roth produced this view of Chancelade Abbey a few kilometers northwest of Périgueux. A major religious centre in the region, the abbey nestles in a valley bottom on the edge of the road to Brantôme. Here, it is the façade and the forecourt of the abbey church that are represented. On the back, various annotations by his only son, Michel Roth.