Église Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Cornadore de Saint-Nectaire

Saint-Nectaire

Crowning Mont Cornadore above the valleys of the Sancy massif, the church of Saint-Nectaire ranks among the finest Romanesque churches in Auvergne. Begun around 1080, it was for the most part built between 1146 and 1178. It honours Saint Nectaire, evangeliser of Auvergne who died in the 3rd century, whom tradition makes the apostle of this mountain. The interior preserves an exceptional set of carved capitals, some of them polychrome, and its treasury is one of the most precious in the Massif Central: the reliquary bust of Saint Baudime, gilded copper with ivory eyes, of the 12th century; the Virgin in Majesty Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Cornadore, a 12th-century wooden statue; and a 15th-century effigy of Saint Nectaire. Placed as early as 1840 on the first list of France's 1,034 historic monuments, the church lost its bell towers, pulled down in 1794 under the Revolution, and regained its silhouette around 1874 thanks to the restoration led by the historic monuments architect Louis-Clémentin Bruyerre. From the upper village, the eye takes in the Monts Dore: a sanctuary of volcanic stone set between sky and spa valleys, where pilgrim and spa-goer have crossed paths for generations.

Getting there : Upper village of Saint-Nectaire; paying car parks nearby; church open every day in season (9 am–7 pm), free admission, accessible with assistance

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound