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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Sébastien church of Bousselargues, also dedicated to Saint Laurent, is a Catholic monument located in the municipality of Blesle in the Haute-Loire. Its origin dates back to a donation of 827, mentioned in the cartular of Brioude, where Ductrannus and his wife Gisaltrudis offer land in the chapter of Saint-Julien de Brioude, including a sanctuary in the villa of Bocinaricus. This primitive site precedes the present building, whose 12th century choir probably occupies the original location.

The present structure preserves Romanesque elements, such as the cul-de-four adorned with a pantocrator Christ and the Tetramorph, painted between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The entrance gate, of late Gothic style, dates from the 15th century, while the bell tower-wall was added much later, between the 18th and 19th centuries. The church, classified as a Historical Monument in 1984, is distinguished by its simple plan (a single nave and apse in cul-de-four) and its basalt berry frames.

Inside, the wall decoration of the cul-de-four is a rare testimony of Romanesque art in Auvergne. The tetramorph, symbol of the four evangelists, is one of the best preserved paintings. Although some parts may date before the 12th century, the building generally preserved its medieval dispositions, with the exception of later additions such as the bell tower. A communal property, the church illustrates the architectural and spiritual evolution of a rural sanctuary over nearly a millennium.

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