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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Urçay, located in the northeast of Allier, is a building whose construction spans between the 11th and 15th centuries, with a major countryside in the 13th century. It rests on the foundations of an ancient Romanesque building, whose flat-side choir remains, covered with a full-cindered cradle and pierced by a large axial bay. This choir, extended by a two-span nave vaulted oric dogives, illustrates the transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles. The cruciform pillars, decorated with foliage and hooked capitals, as well as the lateral arches forming chapels, bear witness to this architectural evolution.

The octagonal bell tower, topped by a bulb made of chestnut shingles, is served by a tower of stairs in screws acced to the north wall. The western portal, remarkable for its forebody and its polylobed tympanum adorned with grimacious Mozarabic inspired heads, reflects a rare artistic influence in the region. The church houses polychrome wooden statues, including one of St. Vincent's – a probable link with local vineyards – as well as two 17th century paintings (Saint Roch, St.Sebastien, and an Assumption), classified as historical monuments as objects.

The building, inscribed in the Historic Monuments by order of April 20, 1989, is located near the Cher River, on the border of the Cher department. Its history is part of that of Bourbonnais, a region marked by a wine tradition and a dense religious heritage. The absence of sideways, planned during the reconstruction of the 13th century but never realized, underscores the architectural constraints or choices of the period.

The location of the church, in the north of the village of Urçay, and its state of conservation – considered "passable" for geographical accuracy – make it a witness to the cultural and artistic exchanges between the centre of France and southern influences (as evidenced by the Mozarabic motifs of the tympan). Its role in the local community, both a place of worship and a historic landmark, has continued since the Middle Ages.

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