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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges church of Aurillac, located in the Cantal, is an ancient medieval chapel built in the early 14th century. It belonged to a cordon convent and was restored in the 16th and 17th centuries. Its architecture, typical of the Midi, is characterized by a unique nave flanked by side chapels, added between the foothills, and a western portal without tympanum. The bell tower, rebuilt in 1847 by the architect Carriat, and the bedside, restored in 1889 by Aigueparses, testify to the major transformations of the nineteenth century.

The name of the church comes from an event of the Wars of Religion. According to legend, on August 5, 1581, the day of the feast of Saint Mary of the Snows, a miraculous snow would have freed the Catholics Aurillac from Protestants. This story, mixing history and devotion, marked the identity of the building. The chapel, transformed into a parish church, preserves traces of its Conventual past, like a 17th century door with bosses, formerly connected to the cloister today gone.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1977, the church is built in volcanic breach, a local material typical of the region. Its successive restorations, including those of the 19th and 20th centuries, preserved its hybrid character, combining medieval elements and modern additions. Today owned by the municipality, it remains a symbol of Aurillac's religious and architectural heritage, open to the public and integrated into the historic urban landscape.

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