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Origin and history

The Basilica Saint-Amable de Riom, located in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is the second largest religious building in Auvergne after the cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand. Originally dedicated to Saint Bénigne in the fifth century under the impulse of Saint Amable, it was renamed after the translation of its relics around 640. The present church was mainly built between the 12th and 13th centuries, with major additions in the 15th, 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting an architectural evolution combining Romanesque, Gothic and classicalism.

The nave, erected in the 12th century in a late Romanesque style, has seven asymmetrical spans and 15th century frescoes discovered in 1975. The Gothic choir (1230-1235) features a walk-through decorated with 13th century capitals and 17th century stalls, partially modified in the 19th century. The transept, restored in the nineteenth century by architect Aymon Mallay, houses notable paintings such as Christ soothing the storm (1859) and a representation of Saint Amable by Jean-Jacques Lévêque, evoking his miracles.

The western façade, of Louis XV (1750) style, was designed by François-Charles Dijon, while the present bell tower, rebuilt in the nineteenth century, replaces a medieval structure damaged by earthquakes (1477, 1490). The basilica, classified as a Historical Monument from 1840, was a place of pilgrimage until the twentieth century. His stained glass windows, dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, illustrate the life of Saint Amable and biblical scenes, supplemented by a romantic organ by Joseph Callinet (1834) and a vermeil shawl (1814) replacing the original fondue during the Revolution.

Saint Amable (Vth-Vth century), bishop of Riom, is central in the history of the monument: he transformed a chapel dedicated to Saints Gervais and Protais into the church of Saint-Bénigne, renamed after his death. His worship, linked to miracles like the healing of snake bites, attracted pilgrims until the twentieth century. The basilica now houses 17th-century woodwork, wall decorations by Maurice Lamy (1883), and an 18th-century two-sided high altar, bearing witness to its rich artistic and spiritual heritage.

Lateral chapels, added in the 15th (north) and 18th centuries (south), differ in their styles: Gothic warheads for the first, arches curved for the second. The furniture includes a 15th century silver frame (found during the Revolution) and a 19th century replica, as well as stalls carved by André Boysen and Noël Mercier (1687). The restorations of the 19th century, although controversial for their stylistic modifications, preserved medieval elements such as the choir capitals or the frescoes of the nave.

Ranked minor basilica in 1912 by Pope Pius X at the request of the bishop of Clermont, Saint-Amable remains a symbol of the Auvergnat religious heritage. Its bells, its slate arrow, and its interior decorations make it an emblematic monument of Riom, mixing local history, sacred art and multiseracular architecture.

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