Saint-Austremoine Abbey Church, Issoire

In Issoire, in the heart of the Puy-de-Dôme, the abbey church of Saint-Austremoine is one of the five major Romanesque churches of Basse-Auvergne, alongside Notre-Dame-du-Port in Clermont-Ferrand, Notre-Dame d'Orcival, Saint-Nectaire and Notre-Dame de Saint-Saturnin. It is the largest of the five: 65 metres long. Built in the early 12th century, it is the heir to a much older Benedictine abbey, which grew up around the cult of Saint Austremoine, who evangelised Auvergne in the 3rd century.

What sets Saint-Austremoine apart is its east end (the chevet). If you walk round the building (and you should), you find on the east side the stepped arrangement typical of Auvergne Romanesque art: ambulatory, radiating chapels, raised transept, oblong massif, central bell tower. It is the only one of the five major churches to keep a rectangular axial chapel as well as the radiating chapels.

The other distinctive feature is the polychrome stonework: the designers of the east end inlaid black basalt (found everywhere in volcanic Auvergne) into the pale stone to make mosaics of triangles, diamonds and rosettes. Under the cornice of the choir, a frieze of geometric basalt patterns winds all the way round. It is this arrangement of local materials that is the hallmark of Auvergne Romanesque art.

Inside: the 19th-century polychromy

The interior surprises with its colour. This decoration is not medieval. It is the work of the painter Anatole Dauvergne, between 1857 and 1860, a complete recreation that art historians sometimes judge too interventionist. It does give a fairly accurate idea, though, of what a Romanesque church looked like in colour, far from the bare stone we imagine. The medieval painting, the real thing, is in the room on the right as you come in (the shop): a 15th-century Last Judgement. In 2026, this room is open from Easter to Toussaint (the autumn school holidays), depending on whether volunteers are present.

Historiated capitals and symbolism

In the choir, the historiated capitals tell the story of Christ's Passion and Resurrection: take the time to look up.

Getting there

• Issoire is on the A75 (exits 12 and 13), 35 km south of Clermont-Ferrand. Allow 30 minutes.
• From Saint-Flour: 65 km, 45 minutes.
• Issoire railway station (Clermont-Béziers line).
• The abbey church is right in the town centre, on Place Saint-Paul, five minutes' walk from the station.

Good to know before you go

• Opening hours: in 2026, the abbey church is open every day of the year, from 8:30 to 18:30; visits take place outside services.
• Price: free entry.
• Guided tours: in summer, the Pays d'art et d'histoire (the heritage programme) of Agglo Pays d'Issoire runs many of them; ask for the programme at the tourist office, right next to the abbey church. All year round, groups can book a guide-lecturer.
• Photographers: outside, the east end catches the morning light. At midday, the shadows pick out the basalt mosaic. Inside: raise your ISO rather than using the flash.
• Silence: still a place of worship, so please respect services and worshippers at prayer.

Combine it with nearby sights

• Old town of Issoire: medieval lanes, Renaissance townhouses, market hall.
• Tour de l'Horloge (the Clock Tower): next to the abbey church.
• Saint-Floret (13 km): a small town of character. Its castle keeps 14th-century frescoes that illustrate the romance of Tristan, and the Romanesque church of the Chastel overlooks the village.
• Notre-Dame d'Orcival (55 km): another of the five major Romanesque churches, in the Sancy massif.
• Saint-Nectaire (27 km): yet another major Romanesque church, and the village of the AOP (protected designation of origin) cheese.

Going further

Auvergne Romanesque art stands out for its coherence: oblong massif, stepped east end, historiated capitals, polychrome stonework, statues of Virgins in majesty. Visiting Saint-Austremoine along with the four other major Romanesque churches makes a day-and-a-half circuit from Clermont-Ferrand, and gives an overview of this school, which flourished between about 1080 and 1180.