Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Michel (Saint-Urcize)

Church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Michel in Saint-Urcize

The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Michel church in the village of Saint-Urcize in the Aubrac cultural landscape is a Romanesque pilgrimage church from the 12th to 15th centuries. It was originally dedicated to St. Ordained to Ursicinus von Cahors , a semi-legendary bishop of the 6th century, later received a new patronage in honor of the Archangel Michael and the Apostle Peter . The church building was recognized as a monument historique back in 1921 .

location

The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Michel church is located in the approx. 1150 m high village of Saint-Urcize in the Arrondissement Saint-Flour in the extreme south of the French department Cantal . The distance to Saint-Flour is just under 50 km to the north; the capital of the department, Aurillac, is approx. 90 km to the north-west.

Historical background

The place Saint-Urcize was on the Way of St. James on the Via Podiensis , which connected Le Puy in Auvergne with Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the western Pyrenees . Several medieval churches and hospices emerged along the way, most of which have disappeared. The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Michel church was formerly part of a priory of La Chaise-Dieu Abbey . During the French Revolution the priory was dissolved; the church remained as a parish church, whereas the outbuildings disappeared.

architecture

Larger pilgrimage churches are often recognizable by their ambulatory , which enabled the flow of pilgrims to be directed; The radial chapels adjoining the ambulatory speak for a priory church . While the outer lower choir area is otherwise not structured, the upper part shows semi -columns with unadorned capitals ; Console friezes can be found under the eaves . The entire three-aisled choir with the windows between the chapels made of reddish sandstone was created in the 12th century from Auvergnatian basalt (foundations) and granite (superstructures). The only nave, but slightly higher nave was built in the 14th or 15th century; The four-part bell arcade (clocher mur) also dates from this period . Inside, the ambulatory is separated from the chancel by columns with lightly decorated capitals.