Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of La Tourette, first mentioned in 1153 as a priory dependent on the Abbey of Ainay, saw its nave built in the 12th century. This historic monument presents a varied architecture: cradle vaults, warheads and ridges, as well as a stone bell tower covered with flat tiles. The southern chapels and the gate, rebuilt in the sixteenth century, bear engraved dates (1525, 1575), reflecting the major changes of this period, such as the addition of a staircase turret and a porch.

In the 15th century, the convent buildings, in ruins since 1378, were rebuilt and later served as a presbytery after the Revolution. The sacristy, added in the seventeenth century, completes the whole. Significant restorations took place before 1825 (possible reassembly of the tower) and in 1979 (exterior and roof), followed by interior work. The initials "IP DM" engraved in 1525 remain a riddle, just as the current use shared between cult and inn in old buildings.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1978, the church illustrates religious architectural evolution over nearly five centuries, mixing Romanesque elements (Nef of the XIIth), Gothics (Wives vaults) and Renaissance (Châtels of the XVIth). Its bell tower, characteristic vaults and lapidary inscriptions make it a rare testimony of local history, linked to the Abbey of Ainay until the Revolution.

The adjacent buildings, transformed into inn, preserve traces of their medieval (vetted cellar) and modern (18th century gallery). Their present state reflects the successive adaptations, from their role as priory to their contemporary function, while preserving original elements such as 18th century windows.

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