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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Reugny is a small Romanesque building in ruins, located in the municipality of Laféline, in the department of Allier, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Built probably at the end of the 12th century, it belonged to an Augustinian priory certified as early as 1205 under the protection of the Dukes of Bourbon. Dedicated to Notre-Dame, it was burned and ruined by the Huguenots between 1565 and 1570, leaving only cracked walls and a roof partially collapsed under vegetation.

The chapel is distinguished by two remarkable elements: its richly carved western portal, acquired in 1934 by the New York Museum The Cloisters after adorning a Parisian apartment, and its 14th and 15th century murals. The latter, protected since 1994 by an inscription in the Historical Monuments, remain in situ despite the abandonment of the site, exposed to the weather and dejections of birds. The portal, for its part, is now visible in the first museum hall, integrated into the cloister of the Gellone Abbey.

Although classified, the chapel is neither restored nor accessible to the public. It is located south of Laféline, close to Route D46 connecting Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule to Montmarault, in the middle of a farm. The photographs available show an advanced state of degradation, contrasting with the historical value of its remains. The murals, rare testimonies of local medieval art, remain the main reason for its heritage protection.

The history of the chapel illustrates the hazards of heritage conservation: its portal, the most valuable element, has been relocated to the United States, while the rest of the building, despite its ranking, suffers the outrages of time. The sources also mention its connection with the Dukes of Bourbon, protectors of the priory in the Middle Ages, and its role in local religious life before its destruction during the wars of Religion.

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