Selection of the most beautiful monuments in the Loire

Medieval and Renaissance Castle
42210 Bellegarde-en-Forez

The castle of Bellegarde-en-Forez, built between the 15th and 19th centuries, dominates the plain of Forez in the Loire. This monument combining Renaissance and medieval remains bears witness to the history of the local lords and the Counts of Forez.

Devil's Bridge
42680 Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez

The Pont du Diable de Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez, built in the 12th and 14th centuries, is an emblematic medieval bridge located in the Loire, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, crossing the Mare at the place called Verines.

Gothic Church
42800 Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez

The Chartreuse de Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, founded in 1281, is a former Cartreux monastery transformed into a village in the Loire, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This medieval site, marked by a 17th century Baroque architecture, is now classified as Historic Monuments.

Gothic Church
42100 Saint-Etienne

The Grand'Église Saint-Étienne, the Gothic building of the 15th-17th centuries in Saint-Étienne (Loire), combines the Forezian style with the turbulent history, marked by the Wars of Religion and the Revolution.

Modern Church
42700 Firminy

The church Saint-Pierre de Firminy, designed by Le Corbusier in the 1960s, is a crude concrete building located in the Loire, emblematic of modern religious architecture of the twentieth century.

Romanesque Church
42610 Saint-Romain-le-Puy

The Prioral Church of Saint-Romain-le-Puy, built between the 10th and 14th centuries, dominates the plain of Forez from a volcanic piton. This historic monument, classified in 1862, combines Romanesque architecture and Gallo-Roman remains in the Loire.

Gothic Church
42380 Saint-Bonnet-le-Château

The Collège Saint-Bonnet, a 15th-century Gothic building in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château (Loire), dominates the city with its medieval murals and rich religious heritage, classified as a Historic Monument in 1922.

Priory
42260 Pommiers-en-Forez

The fortified priory of Pommiers-en-Forez, built between the 11th and 16th century in the Loire, is a former Benedictine monastery turned into a castle-prieuré, marked by its religious role and royal visits.