Church Saint-Light of Ebreuil

11 juin 2007

Church Saint-Light of Ebreuil

Ebreuil was the refuge of the monks of Maixent Saint, fleeing the Danes by carrying the relics of Maixent Saint, Saint Leger and Saint Guerin.

Towards 898, fleeing the Norman invaders, the monks of Maixent Saint made the decision to leave their monastery one carrying their richnesses and the body of their saints.

Thus a group, person in charge for the relics of Leger Saint, moved towards Auvergne and was fixed at Ebreuil, currently chief town of canton Allier, at the edge of Sioule. The Saint-Leger church was built into 906, then a splendid abbey was high with the memory of the saint bishop of Autun.

Calms returned, towards 929, the remained monks with St Maixent claimed the return of the remainders of Leger Saint. In spite of many negotiations, the lands of welcome hardly making a point of separating from the relics having brought an exceptional reputation to them, the body of Leger Saint remained in Ebreuil and the monks of Maixent Saint accepted only negligible pieces, “weighing on the whole 9 ounces” (approximately 400 grams).

For this time and until XVIème century, the remainders of Leger Saint had rested under the Master furnace bridge of Ebreuil. At that time, they were placed in a large mounting, nowadays placed on a base, behind the Master furnace bridge. It is a rectangular trunk in oak, with roof as a battière, covered with plated copper, decorated medallions and subjects out of copper. One can date it from XVIème century, but it was rather awkwardly restored with XIXème. She does not preserve any more the relics of Leger Saint, dispersed in Sioule during the revolution.

The monastery of Ebreuil was set up in abbey about Saint-Benoit by Gregoire VII in 1180 and the church became parochial in 1793.

The church is composed of a nave of 6 spans flanked of sides and preceded by a vast bell-tower-porch. It is provided with a projecting transept whose southern arm was partly demolished. On the apse with 5 sides, prolonging a span of the chorus, opens a déambulatoire with 5 radiating chapels, three in the center of hexagonal plan and two in hemicycle. The triumphal arch, located at the entry of the apse, is supported by two Carolingian piles to which lean the Gothic pilasters.

It contains one of the most important sets of Romance painting of Auvergne. These paintings cover the walls with the platforms of the nave. One can admire there in particular:

platforms of the church decorated with a superb whole of frescos carried out towards 1125 Holy representative Austremoine, the Holy pope Clement, of the episodes of martyrdoms of Pancrace Saint and Holy Valerie of Limoges, Michel Saint embanking the demon, George Saint embanking the dragon, the Annunciation and Raphaël Saint giving in Tobie the fish gall.

The nave, with the end of XIème century, is covered by a frame connect and present large arcades in falling down semicircular arch surdes rectangular piles. On the Western span, a barrel vault supports a platform enriched in XVème century by an openwork stone balustrade. While the southern side was rebuilt at the XVIIIème century, the narrow northern side, covered by the cradle in semicircular arch, is contemporary nave.

The transept crossing, with the end of XIème century, is covered with a vast cupola.

The bedside was rebuilt at the end of XIIème century in Gothic style of Island of France.

The bell-tower-porch on three floors dates from XIIème century and present of the similarities with that of the Saint-Benoit-on-Loire. Blind arcades on the first floor, let suppose that it was conceived like defensive keep.

The door in semicircular arch is surmounted by a tympanum which a lintel as a bâtière supports. This tympanum is decorated with three Romance high reliefs representing a Christ in majesty, surrounded by two apostles. On the leaves of the gate the fittings of XIIème century, applied to skins dyed in red are preserved. It is said that they are skins of bear…

ADEST CARRIED PER QUAM JUSTI REDEUNT AD PATRIAM

“here the door by which the right ones return to their fatherland”

Presence of a crypt or an old tomb under the chorus?

“Marginal Mention with the act of burial of Dom Guillaume Lefebvre, religious priest, sexton of the abbey of Ebrueille (sic), native of Paris, old approximately 84 years, is deceased on October 20, 1751. Buried in the church of our abbey opposite the door of the vault.
It is buried opposite the door of this vault. There are its feet against the door, one wanted to make his pit along the furnace bridge, that was impossible with three feet out of ground one found a building, it appears that it is an old tomb, one did not want to see what it was. “(Parochial Register of the parish of Ebreuil, A.D. To combine it).