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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Chamalières, located in Puy-de-Dôme, finds its roots in an ancient religious occupation. From the 7th century, a female monastery was founded there by the Count of Auvergne and the Bishop of Clermont, under a rule inspired by Benedict, Césaire and Colomban. In the 10th century, a church dedicated to Notre-Dame was occupied by sixteen regular canons, before welcoming a parish in the 12th century. The present building, built on Gallo-Roman remains, marks one of the first Romanesque works in Auvergne, with a nave and a western massif dating from the late X or mid XI century, according to archaeological debates.

In the 12th century, the church was enlarged: the bedside with four radiant chapels, the porch and vaults were added, consolidating its Romanesque style. The octagonal bell tower, erected in the 19th century, replaces the one destroyed during the Revolution. A major restoration in the 1920s profoundly altered the western massif to regain its original appearance. Ranked a historical monument in 1840, the church is distinguished by its blonde arkose mixed with black volcanic stone, its fifty-three tombstones (from 1281 to 1803) and its sculpted Romanesque capitals.

The furniture includes a 17th century confessional, a witness to liturgical developments. Archaeological studies, such as those of Anne Courtillé or Patrick Perry, highlight the importance of this site in understanding the architectural transition between the 10th and 12th centuries in Auvergne. The sources, including the monumental Bulletin (1895) or the works of Dominique de Laruzière-Montlosier, document his role in the medieval religious landscape.

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