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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Fargheon, located in Bourg-Lastic in Puy-de-Dôme, is a Romanesque religious building built in the 12th century. It is distinguished by its unique nave, its non-protective transept surmounted by an octagonal bell tower, and a typically auvergnat bedside. The southern portal, in the limousin Romanesque style, has a broken arch with carved motifs, while the interior capitals, such as that of the thief from the goose, recall those of Notre-Dame du Port in Clermont-Ferrand.

The church was originally dedicated to Saint Fargheon, local variant of Ferjeux de Besançon, martyr of the third century and evangelizer of the Franche-Comté with his brother Ferréol. It depended on the priory of Port-Dieu in Corrèze, whose influence is manifested in the southern portal. In the 19th century, reshuffles extended the nave of a span westward and altered the choir and the abside. Ranked a historic monument in 1913, it preserves medieval elements such as its apsidioles and its original vaults.

Originally, the church included a square choir with circular apse, a transept flanked by absidioles, and a tower above the cross. Lateral chapels and bell tower modifications (including the upper octagonal part) date back to later periods. The southern portal, attributed to the early 13th century, has rare stylistic peculiarities in the region, especially in the upper part of the transept. These characteristics make it a unique testimony of auvergnat Romanesque art, marked by external influences like that of the monks of Port-Dieu.

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