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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre de Moulins finds its origins in the convent of the Carmelites, founded in 1352 under the reign of Pierre I de Bourbon. Originally dedicated to St Stephen and located outside the ramparts, it was destroyed in 1384 by Anglo-bourguignon troops. Rebuilt in the 15th century thanks to the gifts of Anne de France, wife of Louis II de Bourbon, it became a major place of worship for the Carmelites. The convent and church suffered further damage in 1562, during the Wars of Religion, when the Huguenots ravaged them and transformed the church into a stable.

In the 17th century, a rectangular chapel, Notre-Dame-de-Pitié, was added to the west of the choir for the offices of the Carmelites. It is still home to a 16th century golden wooden stake and a 19th century stucco tomb. After the Revolution, the Carmelites were expelled in 1790, and the church became parish under the name of St Peter. The bell tower, destroyed during the Revolution, was rebuilt in 1809 and rebuilt in 1900 because of its precarious state. The building, classified as a historical monument in 1986, illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of Moulins.

The church is distinguished by its mix of styles: 15th century nave with dogive vaults, 17th century classic decoration with Corinthian columns and broken pediment, and lateral chapels added over the centuries. It also preserves traces of its conventual past, such as the closing of the seventeenth century in the first span of the nave. In 1994, she hosted the funeral of François de Grossouvre, a local figure.

Architecturally, the building combines a nave of five spans, side chapels, a polygonal choir and a bell tower separated from the facade by a stair turret. The successive construction campaigns — 15th, 16th, 17th and 19th centuries — bear witness to the rich history of Bourbon, marked by religious conflicts, reconstructions and adaptations to new liturgical uses.

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