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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Mayol, located in Veurdre in the department of Allier, is part of a priory founded in the second half of the 12th century. This priory depended on the Benedictine abbey of Souvigny, itself attached to the order of Cluny. The building, particularly prosperous in the 13th century, was burned in the 14th century by Anglo-bourguignon troops and restored in 1420.

The chapel is distinguished by its semicircular choir, probably contemporary from its foundation to the twelfth century, and a rectangular nave rebuilt later. A bay in the middle of the wall separates these two spaces. The walls of the choir contain an exceptional painted decoration: a figurative drapery, surmounted by characters (monks, peasants, ecclesiastical) and scenes related to the Benedictine history of the priory. These frescoes, dated around 1300 thanks to the costumes and hairstyles represented, were restored in 1905.

The arch separating the nave from the choir is also adorned: its intrados shows a dove in a glory carried by two angels, while the vault key represents a crucifixion surrounded by characters and agrarian scenes. These paintings, classified as historical monument in 1974 with the chapel, bear witness to the artistic and spiritual richness of the priory. The building is now located at 22 Rue de Saint Mayeul, in the village of Veurdre.

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