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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Bonnet de Miremont, located in Puy-de-Dôme in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is a religious building marked by several periods of construction, spreading from the 11th–12th centuries (Romanesque parts) to the 15th–12th centuries (Gothic and Renaissance changes). It stands on a strategic hill, at the confluence of the Sioulet and Chevalet rivers, in the Combrailles landscape, near Clermont-Ferrand. Its architecture combines a four-span nave flanked by low-sides, a salient transept, and an apse arched in cul-de-four, surmounted by a square bell tower with geminied bays crowned with quadrilobes.

Consecrated in 1147 (or 1149 according to the sources), the church is linked to the local seigneurial history: Guillaume de Beaufort, a crusade party, ceded his rights to the sacristy to the cathedral chapter of Clermont. This link lasted until the Revolution, with the chapter retaining the priest's right of appointment. The building, a communal property since then, was classified as a Historic Monument in 1962 for its heritage interest, illustrating the evolution of religious styles in Auvergne.

The bell tower, a remarkable element, dominates the transept with its slices cut and triangular sprockets. The lateral apsidioles, open on the crucifixes, and the double-brashing windows reflect late medieval additions. Before the Revolution, the church played a central role in the spiritual and social life of Miremont, a village of the Combrailles, then turned to agriculture and river exchanges.

The sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum, Merimée base) highlight its satisfactory conservation status, although its precise location is noted as "passable" (level 5/10). Today, the church remains a witness to the dynamic seigneurial, ecclesiastical and architectural structures that have shaped the religious heritage of Auvergnat.

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