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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Blaise d'Effiat, built between 1627 and 1634, is the work of architects Clément Métezeau and Jacques Lemercier, commissioned by the Marshal of Effiat. The latter, who died in 1632, was buried there with his grandson in a vault under the choir. The building, originally designed as a chapel for an Oratorian college founded in 1714, features a Jesuit-style facade unique in Auvergne, shared only with the church of Saint-Pierre-des-Minimes of Clermont-Ferrand.

In 1763, a fire ravaged the roof, resulting in a reconstruction with a lowered structure and a bell tower redone in 1764, with a lantern dome. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1972, houses remarkable furniture: paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries (including a Crucifixion of 1797 and Adoration of the Magi), a 17th century pulpit, and a bronze lutrin. Its plan includes a single nave, two side chapels, and a transept leading to an apse in the hemicycle.

The building illustrates the influence of Oratorians in the area, with a sober but elegant architecture, typical of French classicism. The bell tower, a hors d'oeuvre on the eastern flank, and the vault in cradle, redone after the fire, testify to the adaptations suffered over the centuries. Today, the church is part of the parish of Saint-Bénilde in Limagne and remains a major heritage of Puy-de-Dôme.

His history was closely linked to Effiat's family: the Marshal, a great figure of the kingdom under Louis XIII, founded a military school there, whose church was the chapel. The Oratorian college, active until the Revolution, strengthened its educational and spiritual role. The epitaphs of Effiat, visible in the nave, recall their patronage and attachment to this place.

Architecturally, Saint-Blaise is distinguished by its rare classical style in Auvergne, with a stone façade of Volvic and a clean interior. The lateral chapels, dedicated to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Conception, as well as the protected furniture (like the eternal Father in carved wood, from the old chapel of the castle), highlight his rich artistic and religious heritage.

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