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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Pardoux church, located in La Tour-d'Auvergne in Puy-de-Dôme, finds its origins in the 11th or 12th century as a parish church originally dedicated to Saint Anne. Its primitive Romanesque architecture was limited to a single nave and a flat bedside. The first written records date back to 1060, when Giraud, Baron of La Tour d'Auvergne, gave way from the church to the Benedictine priory of Sauxillanges. This monument thus embodies the feudal and religious ties of medieval Auvergne.

In the 13th century, the building underwent major transformations: the nave was vaulted with dogives, while the lower sides were added or modified, as evidenced by the date of 1479 engraved on a vault key of the south side. The fifteenth century marked the culmination of Gothic developments, with the construction of a flamboyant southern chapel and a bell tower. The Louis XV altarpieces, added much later, illustrate the baroque evolutions of the interior. The church, classified as Historical Monument in 1918, preserves remarkable elements such as 13th century vantals or sculpted capitals of the seven capital sins.

The 17th century saw the reshuffle of the choir, with the addition of vaults and the elevation of the bedside, dated 1698 by a bay. In the 19th century, artist François Vergnhol restored interior paintings in a neo-medieval style (1875), while the bell tower was partially rebuilt. These interventions reflect the heritage concerns of the time, between preservation and historical reinterpretation. Today, the church remains a testimony of the architectural and cultural strata of the Auvergne, from the Romanesque period to the modern period.

The classified furniture, including a 17th-century high altar, the 15th-12th-century benitiers, and a statue of Saint Roch, highlights the artistic richness of the building. The south gate, with its 13th century vantals, and the allegorical capitals of the nave reinforce its historical interest. A communal property, the Saint-Pardoux church continues to play a central role in the local heritage, between medieval memory and contemporary parish life.

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