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Origin and history

Saint-Pierre de Saint-Flour Cathedral, located in the Cantal in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is a flamboyant Gothic building built between 1396 and 1466 at the site of a Romanesque basilica. It was erected under the impulse of Bishop Hugues de Manhac after the partial collapse of the old church in 1396, despite the difficulties of the Hundred Years' War and the plague. Consecrated in 1466 by Bishop Antoine de Montgon, it became the seat of a diocese created in 1317 by Pope John XXII, separated from that of Clermont-Ferrand. Its sober facade, in black basaltic stone, and its two massive towers give it a fortress look, contrasting with its richly decorated interior.

The cathedral was badly damaged during the Revolution, transformed into a temple of the Supreme Being in 1793, and returned to worship in 1802. In the 19th century, major restoration work was carried out, notably under the episcopate of Frédéric de Marguerye, but the two lateral towers were demolished between 1862 and 1866. Classified as a historic monument in 1906, it houses treasures such as the Beautiful Black God, a polychrome wooden Christ from the 11th or 13th century, and stained glass windows from Émile Thibaud. His organ, built by John Abbey in 1843, and his medieval frescoes, rediscovered in 1851, testify to his turbulent history.

In the 20th century, the cathedral remained an active place of worship, with more than 800 annual celebrations, and a major tourist site, attracting 30,000 visitors a year. In 2021, fire safety exercises were organized, and innovative projects such as the installation of hives on its roof in 2019 or the refining of hams in its north tower in 2022 (finally abandoned for conservation reasons), illustrate its anchoring in local life. Today, it depends on the parish of Saint-Flour-en-Planèze and remains a symbol of the religious and architectural heritage of Auvergnat.

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