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Origin and history

The ramparts of Montverdun, built at the end of the 12th century, surrounded a priory based on a volcanic hill. The enclosure, originally made of stone, may replace earth fortifications and is enlarged until the 14th century. It consists of six towers and a south gate replaced in the 18th century by a west entrance. Conventual buildings, organized around a courtyard, and the fortified church date mainly from the 12th–15th centuries. The site uses local basalt bellows and some granite elements.

According to legend, the priory was founded by Saint Porchaire, Abbé de Lérins in the eighth century, before being attached to Savigny Abbey in 970. The Benedictines, then the canons of Saint Augustine, occupied the place before the priory was ceded to the Chaise-Dieu in 1233. The Count of Forez exercises seigneurial rights there. After a decline in the 16th-17th centuries, the site became a school for priests in the 18th century, then a communal settlement in the 19th century. Since 1968, an association has restored and valued the site.

The church, the convent buildings and the ramparts, built in basalt and granite, are classified as Historical Monuments in 1981. The cloister, once central, has disappeared. The site, owned by the municipality of Montverdun (Loire), combines medieval, religious and architectural heritage, with traces of occupation dating back to the Neolithic. Hollow tile roofs and granite foundations reflect local techniques.

In the 20th century, some of the buildings were destroyed, but the communal school remained there. Since 1968, the Association des amis du Pic has been undertaking restoration work to preserve this emblematic heritage of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The site, open to the public, offers a panorama of the monastic and military history of the Loire.

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