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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Marsat, located in the Puy-de-Dôme, finds its origins in the seventh century, when Bishop Saint-Priest founded a female monastery there under the rule of Saint Césaire d'Arles. This monastery, mentioned as early as 537-590 by Gregory of Tours, houses prestigious relics such as the Virgin belt and a thorn of the Holy Crown. In 1165, the community adopted the Benedictine rule under the obedience of the abbey of Mozac, after being led by local nobles such as Gondelana or Saint Namadie, wife of Saint Calmin, founder of Mozac. The site becomes a renowned pilgrimage site, thanks to the Black Virgin venerated for her miracles, such as the protection of Riom against the Normans in the 10th century.

The present church results from a superposition of epochs: the north nave (X century), dedicated to the Assumption, and the south nave (XII century), dedicated to the Annunciation, with respective choirs of the 14th and 16th centuries. The octagonal bell tower dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The building, rebuilt several times (demountation of the west gate to the 14th and 16th centuries, displacement from the entrance to the south), preserves Romanesque elements like six carved capitals. The high altar (17th century), classified as a historical monument, and the chapel of the Virgin (16th century) house notable works, including the miraculous statue. The cloister, built around the seventh century and restored in the twentieth century, bears witness to monastic life before its partial destruction after the Revolution.

The monastery of Marsat, a property disputed between the Canons of Saint-Martin de Tours and the Carolingians (notably Pépin I of Aquitaine and Charles II the Chauve), was placed under the authority of Cluny in 1095 by Pope Urban II. La Roue de Cire, a tradition born in the 13th century, links Riom to Marsat: every year, the marguilliers offer a wax thread of 250 meters in homage to the Virgin, perpetuating a vow of fire protection. After the Revolution, the convent, looted and divided into plots, lost much of its heritage. Only the efforts of villagers and recent restorations (since 1992) have saved part of this site, which was listed as historical monuments in 1971.

Among the relics and notable objects, the belt of the Virgin (attested in 1698) and the Black Virgin (venered since Gregory of Tours) attract pilgrims. Romanesque capitals, Gothic vaults (XIVth century) and carved cul-de-lampes illustrate the architectural evolution of the site. The decline of the monastery accelerated after the departure of the last prioress, Gabrielle Dufour de Villerose (1732-1776), and the liquidation of property by Sister Gilberte de Barbecot in 1794. Today, the church and its partially restored cloister recall this rich monastic past, between spirituality, political power and popular devotion.

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