Exchange with Hospitallers 1240 (≈ 1240)
Donate to the Augustins and then trade for Chaumont.
2e moitié du XIIe siècle
Church Foundation
Church Foundation 2e moitié du XIIe siècle (≈ 1250)
Construction by Étienne VI de Mercœur.
2021
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 2021 (≈ 2021)
Registration of the entire building.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The entire church of River the Bishop, situated on Parcel No. 1073, shown in the cadastre section A: inscription by order of 25 February 2021
Key figures
Étienne VI de Mercœur - Bishop of Clermont and founder
Church commander in memory of his father.
Odilon de Mercœur - Father of Stephen VI
Entered the monastery of St. Lawrence in Oulx.
Origin and history
The church of Rivière L'Evêque, located in the hamlet of Chabetout in Ardes (Puy-de-Dôme), is a Catholic monument founded in the second half of the 12th century. It is distinguished by its atypical structure: a high tower with seigneurial appearances, equipped with foothills and curved bays, housing two superimposed chapels. The upper chapel, dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, was reserved for the monks, while the lower chapel, dedicated to Saint Madeleine, was venerated by the family of Mercœur. The buildings of the adjoining priory have now disappeared, with the exception of the vestiges of a staircase leading to a later home, today arased.
Originally, the church belonged to the order of St John of Jerusalem, integrated into their command of Montchamp until the Revolution. It was originally offered by Étienne VI de Mercœur, bishop of Clermont, to the Augustinians of St. Lawrence d'Oulx (Piedmont) in memory of his father, Odilon, before being exchanged in 1240 with the Hospitallers for the hospital of Chaumont. The building preserves traces of medieval painted decorations (frises, rinceaux, starry sky) in the upper chapel, while its cradle vault and defensive appearance reflect the religious and seigneurial architecture of the time. Ranked a historical monument in 2021, it bears witness to the influence of religious orders and local aristocracy in medieval Auvergne.
The foundation of the church is linked to the family of Mercœur, one of the most powerful of Auvergne and Velay. Étienne VI de Mercœur, her sponsor, is dedicated to honouring paternal memory while strengthening ties with religious orders. The double dedication of the chapels (Saint John and Saint Madeleine) illustrates this duality between monastic worship and family piety. After the Revolution, the building lost its monastic dependencies, but its original structure, comparable to regional seigneurial towers, made it a rare example of fortified religious architecture of the 12th century. Recent excavations and protections (2021) aim to preserve this emblematic heritage of Puy-de-Dôme.
