CyclingModerateBoucle

11 - From Chilhac to Couteuges

Start: Chilhac

From the river Allier to the gable belfry of the church of Saint-Loup in Couteuges, on the volcanic plateau of the Chaliergue, the landscape, its banks and its terraces with their small huts and low walls bearing witness to the area's wine-growing past, open up before you! Along the way, you will discover Lavoûte-Chilhac (a “Plus Beau Village de France”, one of the most beautiful villages in France), set in a bend of the Allier, and also the village of Chilhac (a “Petite Cité de Caractère”, a small town of character), sitting on a basalt flow.

Distance: 29 km
Elevation gain: +513 m
Elevation loss: -513 m
Duration: 2 h

Route on the map

Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA): route licensed under ETALAB-2.0 via Données : Comité Départemental Randonnée Pédestre Haute-Loire · FFRandonnée · sportsnature.hauteloire.fr — sous licence ETALAB 2.0.

The feel of the route

The first mention of the Lavoûte site appears in the foundation charter of a Cluniac priory dating from 1025, by Odilon de Mercoeur, abbot of Cluny. The site's influence was considerable, since its power extended over thirteen priories in the Allier valley and the Margeride, and forty churches. Most of the buildings visible today date from the end of the 18th century. This rebuilding is the work of the last priors, who wanted to restore old and dilapidated buildings. These new buildings fit within the fortifications of the late Middle Ages. Occupying the centre of the monastery, the priory church of Saint-Croix is one of the rare Gothic churches of the Haut-Allier. The work was commissioned by Vénérand, then Barthélémy de La Farge, priors of Lavoûte-Chilhac, and partly financed by the Bishop of Le Puy and abbot of Cluny, Jean de Bourbon. The coats of arms of those who commissioned and sponsored the work are inscribed on the keystones. The sculpted decoration is unexpectedly rich, with its foliage, human figures and animals. Even more surprising is the richness of the church's furnishings, including the wooden Christ and the so-called door of Odilon, which bears an inscription dated to the middle of the 12th century.