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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame d'Aigueperse, located in the Puy-de-Dôme, finds its origins in a first construction dated 1016. However, it was at the end of the 12th century that it took its definitive Gothic form with the construction of the choir and transept, thus becoming the first building of this style in Auvergne. In 1165, Agnès de Thiers offered the land necessary for its expansion, and in 1253 the church was elevated to the rank of collegiate. Its arms of transept and some chapels, such as the one housing a painting of Ghirlandaio, date from the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.

The proximity of the seigneury of Montpensier allowed important investments for its beautification, notably the Nesson Tower (15th century), built of Volvic stone thanks to Barthélemy de Nesson, father of the poet Pierre de Nesson. The latter erected a family chapel in 1415. The church also houses 13th and 16th century murals, including representations of the Trinity, apostles and scenes of the Passion.

The building underwent several major changes: reconstruction of the nave in 1734 after its collapse in 1727, complete restoration in 1865, and the addition of a bell tower in 1902 to replace the one destroyed during the Revolution. Ranked a historic monument since 1922 (after a first partial classification in 1904), it now retains major works such as The Nativity of Ghirlandaio (1490), commissioned by Gilbert de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier.

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