PRIORY CHURCH OF SAINT-PIERRE-SAINT-PAUL
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As majestic as it is exceptional. One of the five eldest daughters of the powerful Cluny Abbey. Sanctuary of Peace.
Built in the early 11thcentury , it was enlarged in the following century to cope with the influx of pilgrims. Two side aisles were added, along with a new chevet, a double transept and a vast narthex. In the 15th century, the chevet, transepts and choir were rebuilt, and the present flamboyant Gothic facade was added. The recumbent figures of St. Mayeul and St. Odilon can be contemplated. To the right of the transept, the Chapelle Vieille houses the tomb of Louis II de Bourbon, known as le Bon, and his wife, Anne d'Auvergne. The marble recumbent figures have undergone some mutilation, but remain highly realistic. To the left of the transept is the Chapelle Neuve, where the Burgundian-influenced recumbents of Charles I and his wife Agnès de Bourgogne lie, but also Jean II, Pierre II and his wife Anne de Beaujeu (daughter of Louis XI), their daughter Suzanne (wife of Charles III), Louise-Marie Anne de Bourbon (legitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, and Sixte de Bourbon-Parme.
Souvigny's application for Unesco World Heritage status as a Cluniac site, due for selection in 2026, when all the selected sites will form a single property, entails restoration of the north belfry. It supports the four bells (including the large four-ton drone) which are in danger of collapsing, taking with them the historic Clicquot organ. This will be followed by restoration of the nave roofing, then the roofing of the main transept, as well as insulation work on the floors.
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