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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Courtesserre, located in Courpière in the Puy-de-Dôme, is a 15th century chapel, the last architectural vestige of the Order of Malta which occupied this village in the Middle Ages. Its Latin cross plane consists of a nave with a square span, an apse with a cut strip, and two rectangular transepts arranged around a central cross. A square annex, adjacent to the south transept, houses a spiral staircase whose west wall extends the nave facade. The five spans of the building are vaulted with ridges, while the vaults of the choir rest on sculpted blazes, testimonies of medieval craftsmanship.

Classified as a Historical Monument by decree of 8 February 1926, this church illustrates the modest but functional religious architecture of the hospitals. Its state of conservation and its stylistic characteristics (voûts, cross plan) make it an example of rural chapels linked to the military and religious orders of the 15th century. The property of the building now belongs to the commune of Courpière, although its access and current uses (visits, events) are not specified in the available sources.

The location of the church, noted as "a priori satisfactory" (level 6/10), places the monument at the approximate address 9020 Courtesserre, 63120 Courpière, in an area marked by the history of Maltese commanderies in Auvergne. These establishments, often located along pilgrimage routes or trade routes, played a spiritual, charitable and strategic role. The absence of detailed written traces of the founders or subsequent transformations of the building limits the knowledge of its evolution, but its inscription as Historical Monuments underscores its heritage importance.

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