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Origin and history

The Saint-Laurent Church of Châtel-de-Neuvre is a Romanesque religious building built in the 11th and 12th centuries. Located in the Allier department, it occupies the top of a hill overlooking the Allier River, offering a wide panorama of the Madeleine Mountains and the town of Moulins. Its strategic location makes it a privileged observation point for the protected nature reserve of the Allier Meanders.

The church was erected on or near an ancient building, as evidenced by the Gallo-Roman funeral steles re-used in the southwest side of the transept. Originally, it belonged to a priory founded by Souvigny, before becoming a parish church by decision of Pope Urban II. Its architecture combines Romanesque elements, such as a narrow nave and a weak transept, with Gothic modifications, especially on the northern part of the transept.

The nave, one of the oldest in the department, is countered by arched bottoms in a quarter of a circle. The bell tower, with a Romanesque base, lost its original arrow and is covered with flat tiles, unlike the rest of the building, covered with canal tiles. Inside, a mural depicting Saint Sebastian, dated from the end of the Gothic era, probably evokes protection against the plague. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1927.

The eastern part, dating from the 12th century, includes a cross surmounted by a small dome on tubes and three circular apsidioles. In the 15th century, two chapels were added: one on the north arm of the transept, the other on the last span of the southern collateral. The tympanum of the western door has disappeared, while the square bell tower, pierced by twin bays decorated with columnettes, retains traces of models carved from geometric figures.

According to tradition, the church was built at the site of an ancient temple. Three fragments of Gallo-Roman cippes, representing heads of characters, are still visible embedded in the walls, two on the west facade and a third on the southern transept. These elements attest to the reuse of ancient materials during its construction.

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