Tourist Attractions & Monuments en Auvergne

Just at the foot of Saint Michel rock, you must stop there before or after climbing. Also known as the Temple of Diane, the chapel, built in 962, is a technical and human achievement. It would be the old chapel of the hospital of the poor Saint-Nicolas-d'Aiguilhe. The lintel describes the phases of rotation of the moon around the solar star and the arcades are decorated with beautiful diamond-shaped mosaics. Behind St. Clair Chapel, the magic square is an opportunity to widen its head around this esoteric enigma. In 1850, the SUD and OPERA inscriptions were discovered in the embrasement of the south window in the gallery of Saint-Michel Chapel. These two words belong to the magic square composed of five superimposed words, ROTAS, OPERA, TENET, AREPO, SATOR, which can read in all directions. The treasure, discovered in 1955 during the renovation of the altar, consists of relics - christ, woven fabrics, ivory boxes - whose origins are estimated at the time of construction. Also note the recently cleaned frescoes, which are in very good condition.

Water Mother is a little frequented stream that descends from the Monts Mountains, where it winds in very wooded gorges. Downstream of Sauxillanges, the river widens to 5 m, and flows lazily in the middle of the meadows, alternating with smooth lengths lined with roots, with little little currents. Its bed, covered with sand and gravel, is often bordered by large trees, which can make the practice of fly fishing delicate. Upstream of Sauxillanges, where the river is bordered with conifers, trout are numerous but often small. On this route, on the contrary, trees leave the place to pasture and trout, whose density remains important, reaches more interesting dimensions. This very rich water also houses a good wall population, while the chevesnes are only starting to show up from Saint-Rémy-de-Charniat.

Take the road on the left at the exit of Saurier - previously if you wish to climb at the peak of Brionnet, see its chapel and its basaltic organs. Gradually the valley tightened, the Couze is even more savage, faster, the aulnes on its course, the beech that climbing the mountain leaves this and there beautiful granitic pointements. The forced driving that runs above the bed of the river by following the road gâche the site somewhat, especially in autumn, when these gorges are the most beautiful. In Courgoul you could have a stop to seeing the return of young people to the pailhats, these walls which retain thin strips of land, called elsewhere bancels or faïsses and which allowed hard work to maintain a small living mixed polyculture and thereby the maintenance on the ground of the people. From the Valbeleix we are now rolling on the casting of the Mont-Cineyre volcano - splendid lake at the foot of the volcano with its black lapilli beaches - access takes place after Compains where we end our getaway. Possible return by Besse in Chandesse for a substantially identical kilometre is just under 40 km.

The th century church with a unique nave, it depended on Saint-Michel-de-la-Gorges abbey. Its plan and proportions recall buildings built at the same time in Billom or Montferrand.

A pond surrounded by trees serves as a framework for this church. According to tradition, Red Lake would have been soaked in the blood of the martyrs at the time of barbarian invasions. This does not detract from the beauty of the building, built in the th century. The presence of various influences is noted in some elements. The cannelés pilasters and the polylobés arches, a common formula in the Bourbonnais, remind the Burgundy. Plutôt and foliage rinceaux would be a wink to the Limousin. Tents about daily life are interesting. In the courtyard of the old priory, a door is surmounted by a carved eardrum representing the Meal at Simon the Hypocrisy. Inside, there is a statue of white stone of the th century.

With the evolution of the automobile and mechanization of agriculture, the place of the yuan in rural society had been reduced as a matter of grief. It's not enough to think of a garage today to leave its tyres, pistons and valves… to build or restore wheels… wooden! And yet Alain Montpied and his wife made this choice and regret it. In a workshop whose tools and achievements would not have déparé a workshop early in the century - from the xxth century - Alain Montpied takes on board the ancestral gestures, the techniques that these craftsmen have been handing over to generations of apprentices, companions and masters. But who may want to make or redo a wooden wheel? It is hard to imagine a market for this kind of product, or rather for these art objects! And yet, roues wheels, first cars, horse cars of all kinds with their country, old drawn pieces of artillery… interest nowadays more and more private collectors or museums, in short you will have understood more and more of them. Alain Montpied's masterpiece as we were saying in the job: the wheels of the famous Fire reconstructed by Michelin for the centenary this year of the Gordon-Bennett Cup. So, Charron in the st century? It is a roule affair!

It was the glaciers of the quaternary era that covered the lava flows of the Cézallier. They created creux where they came to shelter lakes and bogs. In these wetlands, sphagnum, hypnes, sedge, drosera… It is through the partial decomposition of this flora, the fossil coal. The Tourbières and Cézallier House invites us to discover this particular environment in a museum space and an outdoor site with a pontoons. Tours, thematic tours are organized.

Cunlhat is an ideal tourist destination for nature lovers. The region's varied landscapes are ideal for hiking and biking. Visitors can also discover local craftsmanship by visiting the workshops of local artisans. Cunlhat also boasts a rich historical heritage with its castles and remarkable towns. For those looking for unique experiences, you can take a hot-air balloon ride, rejuvenate in a forest bath or create your own jewel with an Auvergne amethyst. Last but not least, the town also offers numerous events throughout the year, such as the international knife festival in Thiers, the pottery market in Bort-l'Étang and the festival de musique sans frontières in Vollore.

For a long time the castle perched in Montaigut dominates its high silhouette in the Couze-Chambon valley. The th century imposant tower flanked by its th-century stair turret has just regained its lustre. In the early seventies the dungeon threatens to collapse and the last owners do not want to repair. In 1975 the castle is redeemed by a clermontois architect who unfortunately dies before his restoration work is completed. The Sauvadet family then takes over and completes the restoration of the dungeon in which the guest rooms are installed by a beautiful vis staircase finished by a vault with the lion of the Montaigut. On the other hand, there are only a few remains of the large fortified polygonal enclosure, but we note the good state of the eastern door of the village, although there are only two corbeaux in support of the machicolated that protected it.

The Romanesque church, ancient chapel of a castle destroyed in the th century, is worth a visit for its remarkable collection of th century frescoes representing Christ in Glory and his apostles. You will be able to take a tour of the old mills.

This small museum, created in 1994 on the initiative of Jean Bac, a former member of the Resistance, has become an interesting educational tool and much more than a simple place of conservation. Every year, this museum contributes to the knowledge of one of the darkest historical episodes of the contemporary era. Through lectures, excursions, guided tours and activities for schoolchildren, it ensures that history is well understood. From the rise of Nazism to the Nuremberg trials, the exhibitions are comprehensive.