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Origin and history

The Saint-Austermoine d'Issoire Abbey, built around 1130, is a masterpiece of the auvergnat Romanesque style. Second of the five major churches in Auvergne, it is distinguished by its monumental bedside, unique with its rectangular axial chapel and radiant chapels. Built in arkose and decorated with basalt, its exterior decoration combines geometric mosaics, checkered friezes and zodiac symbols, reflecting the medieval cosmic order. The barlong massif, typical of Auvergne Romanesque architecture, accentuates its vertical momentum, while the polychrome modillons and harpsichords highlight its refinement.

Inside, the 13th century polychromy, restored between 1857 and 1860 by Anatole Dauvergne, surprises by its bright colours with dominant red-brown. The eight capitals of the choir, including the one of the particularly remarkable Supper, illustrate the paschal cycle, from the Passion to the Resurrection. These sculptures, attributed to a travelling Provencal workshop, combine biblical narrative with plant motifs. The church, ranked as one of the first French historical monuments in 1840, survived attempts to destroy, such as the 2016 arson, which damaged only furniture.

Dedicated to Austremoine, the first bishop of Clermont in the third century, the abbey was initially a Benedictine monastery. His tumultuous history included the episode of 1575, when Protestant Captain Matthieu Merle, after taking Issoire, tried unsuccessfully to burn the building, avenging himself by making three religious skinners alive. The restorations of the 19th century allowed to regain its original splendour, thanks in particular to the rare technique of frescoes a fresco, suggesting a southern or Italian influence.

Architecturally, the abbey shares similarities with Notre-Dame-du-Port de Clermont-Ferrand and Saint-Nectaire, such as the stiffening arches and blind bays of the lateral facades. Its bedside, the most imposing of the five major churches, symbolizes the spiritual and artistic power of the medieval Auvergne. The exterior ornaments — billet cords, triangular frontons, stone cross — are found on the bell tower and arms of the transept, creating a unique visual harmony.

Today owned by the municipality of Issoire, the abbey remains an exceptional testimony of Romanesque art, combining structural innovation and iconographic richness. Its early classification and careful restoration make it an essential heritage, despite the outrages of time and men.

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