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Abbaye de Menat dans le Puy-de-Dôme

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Abbaye
Eglise romane et gothique
Puy-de-Dôme

Abbaye de Menat

    30 Le Bourg
    63560 Menat
Ownership of the municipality
Abbaye de Menat Le cloître
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Crédit photo : Matthieu Perona - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
800
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
fin VIIe siècle
Reconstruction by Saint Ménelée
XIIe siècle
Construction of the Romanesque church
XIVe siècle
Fortification and Gothic refectory
1628
Commendation
1789
Sale as a national good
1977 et 2015
Historical monument rankings
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The nave, the lower side and the west porch of the church, the western gallery of the cloister (ground floor and first floor), the refectory, the south-west turret (Box ZT 114 to 117): by order of 26 May 1977; All the unclassified parts of the abbey Saint-Ménélée, including the choir and the transept of the church, the abbey house with its justice room with painted decorations and the floor of the cloister, located on parcels n° 115, 116, 117, appearing in the cadastre section ZT, as well as the non-cadastre space located to the east of the bedside of the church: inscription by order of 20 May 2015

Key figures

Saint Ménélée - Founder and rebuilder Ermite Angelvin having refounded the abbey.
Saint Théofrède - Abbé de Saint-Chaffre Mentor of Menelée before she returned.
Barontius et Sensa - Menelée's parents (legend) Symbolize his rejection of forced marriage.

Origin and history

Menat Abbey, located in the eponymous village in the heart of the Sioule Valley (Puy-de-Dôme), is one of the oldest monastic foundations of Auvergne. Ruined, it was rebuilt at the end of the seventh century by St.Ménélée, a hermit from Anjou to escape a forced marriage. Later linked to Cluny Abbey, it became a major centre of monastic reform in Auvergne, controlling many local parishes such as Montluçon or Bellaigue thanks to the perception of tithes.

In the 12th century, enriched by these incomes, the abbey had a large Romanesque church, then fortified to resist the looting of the roadmen. The monastery gradually declined: it was placed as a beginning in 1628 and was in ruins at the Revolution. Sold as a national good, his church was desecrated before it was restored to worship in 1802 as a parish church. Ranked a historic monument in 1977 (completed in 2015), it was renovated in 2022.

The monastic ensemble preserves a Romanesque abbey with remarkable portals (including a 13th century polyloby decorated with symbols), a partially destroyed cloister, and a 14th century Gothic refectory with painted vaults. The Abbatial house, transformed into a town hall and paleontological museum, also houses 15th century murals. Among the treasures of the abbey, a Romanesque capital classified in 1908 illustrates the legend of Saint Ménelée, founder of the monastery.

The site reflects the architectural transformations associated with its turbulent history: medieval fortification, destruction of the 19th century Romanesque bedside, and modern reuse. Two original capitals of the choir are now preserved at the museums of Baltimore and Clermont-Ferrand. The abbey thus embodies nearly 1,500 years of religious, economic and social history in Auvergne.

The decadence of the abbey in the 17th to 18th centuries, documented by historians such as Gregory Goudot, is explained by the system of commende and the loss of its spiritual influence. At the Revolution, his sale as a national good marked the end of his monastic role, but his church became the heart of local parish life. Recent excavations and restorations (2021–2022) aim to preserve this emblematic heritage of auvergnat Romanesque art.

External links