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Origin and history

The Priory Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Souvigny, located in the Allier en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, was founded between the 10th and 11th centuries after the donation of Aymar, Sire de Bourbon, to the Cluny Abbey. This monastery became a high place of pilgrimage after the death of Abbés Mayeul (994) and Odilon, attracting even King Hugues Capet in 996. The church, rebuilt on the model of Cluny III with two transepts and a walkway, housed the necropolis of the Dukes of Bourbon and was consecrated in 1063.

In the Middle Ages, Souvigny, nicknamed "the eldest daughter of Cluny", controlled many priories and parishes in Bourbonnais and beyond, such as Mars-sur-Allier. Pope Urban II confirmed in 1097 his possessions by a pontifical bubble. The Dukes of Bourbon built their tombs there in the 12th century, and the priory reached its peak before a decline begun in the 16th century with the beginning. At the Revolution, the monks were expelled, the church looted, and the site sold to private individuals in 1790.

Ranked a historic monument in 1919, the Prioral Church was restored in the 21st century, including its laymen from Mayeul and Odilon, reconstructed in 2009 from excavations. The priory, proclaimed "Grand Sanctuary of Romanesque Auvergne" in 2003, also houses a Clicquot organ of 1783, classified in 1975. In 2016, the bishop of Moulins released the pilgrimage to the holy abbots, attracting 2,000 faithful, and the site was declared "Sanctuary of Peace" in 2017, in tribute to Odilon, craftsman of the Truce of God.

The architecture combines Romanesque styles (walls, bell towers) and Gothic styles (voûts, facade). The double transept preserves the tombs of the Bourbons, such as those of Louis II and Anne of Auvergne (15th century), or Charles I and Agnes of Burgundy. The cloister, partially preserved (Western gallery of 1432) and the vestige capitular hall bear witness to its monastic past. The garden, between medieval and French, also recalls the local wine history with stocks of Saint-Pourçain.

The priory remains a place of memory of the Bourbons: in 2015, the family celebrated the 11th centenary of its foundation, in the presence of Prince Louis de Bourbon. The stained glass windows of the choir (1438), the Vieille chapel with its painted vault, and the "Zodiac de Souvigny" (sculpted pillar exposed to the local museum) illustrate its rich heritage. Today, the site combines worship, tourism and cultural events, such as the Autumn Music Days around the historic organ.

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