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Origin and history

The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Caprais Abbey of Mozac, founded at the end of the seventh century by Saint Calmin and Saint Namadie, is one of the oldest in Auvergne. Located in Cluny in 1095 under royal protection, it became a centre of Romanesque architecture, famous for its 47 historic capitals and its pre-Roman crypt discovered in 1849. His relics, like those of Saint Austremoine (first bishop of Auvergne), and his chassus in Limousin enamels – the largest in the world – made it a major site.

The 15th century earthquakes (1452, 1477, 1490) partially destroyed the abbey, resulting in a Gothic reconstruction under Abbé Raymond de Marcenat. Volvic's stone replaced limestone, and Romanesque elements were reused, like 32 capitals rediscovered since 1980. The abbey, established in 1516, declined until the Revolution, where its monks left it in 1790 to become parish church.

Classified as a historical monument in 1840, the abbey preserves Carolingian remains (Tenth-century Porch Tower), a partially restored Gothic cloister, and a lapidary museum housing Romanesque sculptures and liturgical objects. Its municipal park, crossed by the streams of Ambène and the Moulins Blancs, recalls its defensive and economic past, linked to Riom and the Roman roads. Today, Mozac aspires to integrate UNESCO's world heritage through the Clunisian network.

The chapel of Saint Calmin and Saint Namadie (XII century), masterpiece of Limous enamelry, illustrates the foundation of the monastery. His enamelled copper plates depict biblical scenes and funerals of the founders. Another treasure, the shawl of Saint Austermoine (XVI century), contains the relics of the first evangelizer of the Auvergne, consolidating Mozac's spiritual prestige.

The Romanesque iconography of Mozac, studied by Mérimée or Émile Mâle, reveals a rare narrative program: from historical capitals (Tobie, Samson, Jonas) to lintels like that of the Tribute (XII century), where the Virgin in majesty receives the homage of Abbé Hugues de Semur. These works, combined with the re-used ancient remains (Gallo-Roman altar, moathole blocks), bear witness to a cultural continuity since Antiquity.

The reform of Saint-Maur (1644) and the conflicts as occupation by the Leagues (1595) marked its last centuries. Sold as a national property in 1792, the abbey was divided between private and communal estates until 2007, the date of its reunification. Today, its cloister and its convent buildings host exhibitions and research, perpetuating its cultural and historical influence.

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