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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre de Montluçon, founded in the 12th century by the religious of the collegiate Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul d'Évaux-les-Bains, is confirmed as well monastic by a letter from Pope Adrien IV in 1158. It then depended on the archpried of Huriel and not Montluçon. His plan is inspired by the Romanesque churches of Berry, with similarities marked with the church of Notre-Dame d'Huriel, linked to the Abbey of Deols. The nave, partially rebuilt 50 years after its foundation, and the pillars of the bell tower, reinforced in the thirteenth century, testify to a continuous architectural evolution.

In the 15th century, the church underwent important modifications: a chapel dedicated to the Virgin was added to the north side, and the spaces between the apse and the apsidioles, initially delimited by segments of the Berry's typical circle, were transformed into chapels. The façade, reworked at the end of the Gothic period, includes three high-rise trilobed bays and two low-end windows, framed by a new portal in 1643. The latter, decorated with pilasters and a triangular pediment, bears the engraved date of its reconstruction.

The bell tower, solid and square, preserves a first Romanesque floor decorated with blind berries in the middle of the hanger, still visible on its eastern face. An additional floor, added in the 17th century or early 19th century, supports a bell-shaped roof. Inside, the unique nave of 10 meters wide, initially covered with a lost structure, has been surmounted since the end of the 15th century by a cradle structure. The crossover of the transept, narrower than the nave, supports a dome on trunks, while the arms of the transept and the choir are vaulted in cradle.

Classified as a historical monument in 1978, the church houses remarkable furniture, including a 14th century cross of crossroads, a 17th century retable, and 15th and 20th century statues. Among them, a Virgin of Mercy and a Saint Madeleine carved by Jean de Chartres, as well as triptychs by Montluçon painter Maurice Vignier. These elements reflect his central role in Montluçon's religious and artistic life, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

The building, owned by the commune, was restored, notably in 1913 and 1960, revealing architectural details as a cruciform pillar of the transept cross. Its history, linked to that of the priory-curé dependent on the Augustinians of Évaux, makes it a major witness of Bourbon's religious heritage, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and classical influences.

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