NOTRE-DAME DE MAILHAT CHURCH

Just a few arrow-throws south-east of Issoire, the small village of Mailhat is home to one of the most astonishing country churches in the Limagne d'Issoire region. Although modest in size, this former chapel of the Cluniac priory of Sauxillanges boasts a sculptural program that has nothing to envy those of the major churches of the lower Auvergne. A parish church until the French Revolution, Notre-Dame-de-Mailhat was built in the late ^12th century by an Auvergne school influenced by Languedoc. Featuring a single nave, a trefoil choir and a narthex typical of Auvergne, the building underwent a number of changes in the ^12th century: the apse was raised several meters to accommodate a fortified room. The polygonal apse adopts an architectural structure frequently found in other churches in the region, such as the Collegiate Church of Saint-Laurent in Auzon. In addition to its architecture, which is typical of the region, the monument features an exceptional south portal: semi-circular arches rest on an alignment of columns with capitals, some of which, in blue marble, are Gallo-Roman replacements. Sculptures on the jambs depict fish, a woman with her breasts bitten by snakes, and crouching figures. Lust, avarice and vices seem to invade the exterior of the monument, taking over the many modillions with their disturbing simian faces. Inside, angels and bearded, crouching men take over the capitals. Atlantes are answered by bifid-tailed mermaids, an owl swallows a tortoise... Traditions: on the occasion of the Assumption, the commune of Mailhat organizes its patron saint's day. Every year on August 15, a procession of the Virgin in Romanesque majesty, Notre-Dame-de-Mailhat, takes place through the village streets. Opposite the church, you'll see the Butte de Nonette.