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Origin and history

The church Saint-Désiré, located in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, dates back to the 11th or 12th century. It is built around an older crypt (11th century) housing the tomb of Saint Désiré, Archbishop of Bourges from 538 to 550. The adjacent priory, founded in 1055 by Ebe de Charenton and Archambaud II de Bourbon, depended on the abbey of Saint-Michel de la Cluse. The church, originally dedicated to Saint Martial, was built between 1066 and 1091 by monks of the priory next to the Chapel.

In the 12th century, Suger claimed the property of the priory for the Abbey of Saint-Denis via a pseudo-diploma of Dagobert, but the conflict was settled in favour of the Abbey of Saint-Michel de la Cluse. The reputation of the place was based on the presence of the relics of Saint Desire. The church, classified as a historic monument in 1875, was restored between 1866 and 1890 by architects Denis and Georges Darcy, who added a bell tower and restored the vault in the middle of the central nave.

In the 19th century, the church lost its first two western spans, and its nave was covered with a wooden cradle, replacing a missing masonry vault. The ancient frescoes, including records of a painter monk named Omblardus monacus (1118), were erased during restorations. Today, the building retains a three-nave structure, a transept and a three-absid bedside, typical of bourbonese Romanesque architecture.

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