A romanesque church in nearly every village

The Bourbonnais area has a multitude of romanesque churches exempifying the architectural features to be found in the ancient dioceses of Auvergne, Burgundy and the Berry region which shared the region.

These three influences are to be found in St-Pierre and St Paul church in Souvigny which left its mark on neighbouring churches: the doorways in Besson, Chemilly and Trevol, the capitals in the churches of St Marc de Souvigny and St Pierre d’Yzeure.

Besides these churches that are almost purely romanesque, along with those of Bessay and Toulon-sur-Allier, the parishes of Moulins and its hinterland number many small churches that are romanesque in origin, very simple in style and frequently reworked in later periods: Aubigny, Bagneux, Bresnay, Chapeau, Coulandon, Gennetines, Neuvy, Saint-Ennemond.
Gothic art emerges in the major 15th century works undertaken by the Dukes of Bourbon: the reconstruction of the top of the church of Souvigny priory and its cloister, the building of the collegiate chapel attached to the dukes’ castle (enlarged from 1852 to 1888 when it was made a cathedral).
The diocese of Moulins was established in 1823. The episcopal reign of Monseigneur de Dreux-Brézé was a particularly fruitful time in terms of restoration and construction of religious buildings (parish churches and chapels), many of them interesting examples of neo-gothic architecture: Aurouër, Avermes, Bressolles, Montbeugny, Neuilly-le-Réal. The purest illustration is the church of the Sacré-Coeur in Moulins, built by Lassus from 1844 to 1881. The most recently built church is that of Villeneuve sur Allier (1904).

[ Discover the Bourbon region ]