Saint Peter's Church à Novacelles dans le Puy-de-Dôme

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Key figures

Origin and history

The church of St. Peter of Novacelles, built in the 13th century, finds its origins in a 10th century chapel linked to a monastic hermitage. In the 12th century, it was enlarged in the enclosure of the local castle to serve the lords, then attached in the middle of the 13th century to the Benedictine Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. Its modest dimensions (18 m x 8 m) and its sober architecture — unique two-span nave, apse arched in cul-de-four — reflect its initial use castral and parish. The rough capitals and the monolith bentier in local granite date from this period.

The 14th century murals, rediscovered in 1965, adorn the choir and represent the twelve apostles, one Christ in glory and the four evangelists. These paintings, typical of rural churches, served as an educational tool for the faithful. The church was also the place of burial of the lords, as evidenced by a fire transformed into baptismal fonts. Ranked a historical monument in 1969, it retains traces of its medieval past, despite changes (clocher rebuilt in the 19th century, roof redone in 1986).

In the 17th–15th century, the episcopal visits revealed a generally well-maintained building, despite recurring problems (cloche cracked in 1703, presbytery in ruins). The archives mention priests such as Pierre Malfériol (1653) or Claude Bard (accused of attempted assassination in 1660), as well as conflicts related to the burials (Order of 1703). The local clergy, often from noble families (e.g. Antoine de Sirmondz, Prior in 1556), served the parish until the Revolution, where parish priest Simon Chomette was imprisoned for having retracted his constitutional oath.

Major changes include the partial destruction of the bell tower in 1793, its reconstruction before 1887, and restoration campaigns in the 19th to 20th centuries (voûts in 1887, frescoes in 1966, roof in 1986). In 1943–44, parish priest Joseph Chaput, a member of the Alibi Resistance network, hid a radio transmitter in the bell tower. Today, the church, a communal property, is part of the parish of Saint-Jean-François Régis in Livradois-Forez.

The building thus combines Romanesque heritage (gate in braid, foothills), Gothic decoration (frescoes) and modern adaptations. Its history reflects the links between seigneurial power, monastic life and village community, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period.

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