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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Mazeran, located at Broût-Vernet in Allier, was built around 1070 by the Majoran lords, including Saint Mazeran (Théobald Majoran), a legendary Clunisian monk who supposedly drew his plans. Attached to the priory of Souvigny, she became priory and later parish church after her enlargement in 1168. Its auvergnat style, marked by a five-span nave and absidioles, makes it a typical example of Clunisian art in Bourbonnais.

The Revolution transformed its destiny: sold as a national property in 1796, it was bought in 1803 by the parish priest Claude Bourgoing as a place of worship in the parish of the Vernet. The bell tower, destroyed, was rebuilt in 1840, while the present façade dates back to 1868. Classified as a historical monument in 1933 (excluding a bell tower), it houses a merovingian sarcophagus discovered in 1974, attributed to Saint Mazeran, as well as 16th-century murals and 19th-century stained glass windows.

The building illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of the region: from the medieval clunisian priory to the post-revolutionary parish church. Its remarkable elements — frescoes by Saint Mazeran (1530-1540), stained glass by Charles Lorin (1906), an 18th-century marble altar — reflect a preserved artistic and spiritual heritage. The legend of Saint Mazeran, architect and hermit, strengthens his anchor in local history and the route of the painted churches of Bourbonnais.

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