Maire de Moulins-sur-Céphons (1868) - Initiator of work
Open the bays between the naves.
Origin and history
The Saint-Pierre de Moulins-sur-Céphons church is an original historical monument, consisting of two adjoining buildings. The first, dedicated to Saint-Blaise, dates from the beginning of the 12th century and presents a nave of five vaulted bays in cradle, completed by a narrower choir. Its portal, adorned with an o-ring arching worn by columns with conical capitals "to the Norman", suggests the intervention of an artist foreign to the region. Only the first span preserves its original vault, the others having been redesigned in the 14th century, just like the choir.
In 1347, a second nave was built against the first, under the name of Saint Peter. The two spaces, initially separated, were joined in 1868 by two large open bays on the initiative of the mayor, unifying the last spans and choirs. The chapel of Saint-Blaise houses three 16th-century frescoes, including a Saint-Christophe dressed in the fashion of Francis I and a martyrdom of Saint-Sébastien represented at two periods. A fresco of the choir, dated from the end of the 15th century, as well as a 12th century bas-relief of the Virgin, also adorn the building.
Classified as a Historical Monument by decree of 26 January 1927, the church belongs to the commune. Its architecture thus combines Romanesque (portal, capitals) and Gothic (redesigns), while its painted decorations illustrate the artistic evolution between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The accuracy of its location is estimated "a priori satisfactory", based on available data.
