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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Georges de Néris-les-Bains, located in the Allier (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is a religious building dating back to a Roman civil basilica in the Upper Empire, whose remains remain in the northern walls. This building, destroyed during the barbaric invasions in the fourth century, was partially rebuilt with a characteristic cubic apparatus, before welcoming in the sixth century an oratory dedicated to Saint Martin, founded by the deacon Patrocle according to Gregory of Tours. Patrocle, after having educated the local children and founded a female monastery in Neri, left the place for La Celle, leaving behind a site already marked by devotion.

The construction of the present church probably began after 1078, when Archambaud III of Bourbon offered the parish to the canons of Evaux. Although the archives lack to confirm this, its Romanesque style (nave vaulted in cradle, octagonal dome on tubes, bedside and transepts of the eleventh century, nave of the twelfth) suggests this dating. A papal privilege of 1158 mentions the church under the name of St George, confirming its attachment to the priory of Evaux before 1267. Later documents became scarce until the 16th century, when a hurricane struck down the bell tower in 1583, followed by repairs in 1685 and 1733 to combat moisture and oldness.

The building is distinguished by its hybrid architecture: the central nave and the sides, arched perpendicularly, contrast with the dome of the cross and the apses in the cul-de-four. The bell tower, rebuilt after 1583, has an octagonal floor open with twin bays, surmounted by an arrow in slate. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1923, the church bears witness to the superposition of the epochs, from ancient foundations to medieval restoration, and modern adaptations. Maurice Prou's excavations revealed these strata, highlighting his continuing role in local religious life since the sixth century.

Beyond its architectural history, the site is linked to Saint Patrocle, a major figure of bourbonian Christianity. His oratory of the sixth century, dedicated to St.Martin, preceded by five centuries the present church, illustrating the permanence of Neri worship. The canon of Évaux, then the commune (owner since the 19th century), ensured its preservation, despite the climatic hazards and the documentary gaps before 1800. Today, the church remains a symbol of the Allerian Romanesque heritage, open to the visit within the thermal village of Néris-les-Bains.

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