Church Saint-Julien in Meillers

This church was built between 1180 and 1248. it was located on the châtellenie Bourbon and depended on évéché on Bourges. It was placed under the term of Julien Saint and depended on the priory of bénédictines of the abbey of Saint-Menoux.

It is a Romance building whose apse is in hemicycle, the chorus of two spans and the nave of three spans. The low sides were built at the time of one second countryside at the time Romance. The two vaults joined with the southern frontage were added with the XIXème century, and the northern vault in XVème.

The gate of the church is famous for the decoration of the capitals which crown the columns on both sides entry. They are decorated animeaux musicians: a playing lion of the hurdy-gurdy and a playing ass of the toothing-stone, inspired by the ancient fabulist Phèdre.

The tympanum of the gate introduces in its blessing center a Christ, surrounded by a mandorle supported by two angels and sheltered of a platform in the shape of arc of mitre covered with overlaps. On each side, under the arcades in semicircular arch, five apostles are carved. It misses Judas and Thomas, two more important in the esoteric tradition of Christianity to my direction (that which Jesus liked and his/her twin brother). This tympanum makes me think of that of the church of Thuret. These two churches present strong similarities at my direction.

The Hartmann network was geared down in front of the pillars on each side of the church. On the western frontage, at height of face, a star with 8 branches presents a hole in its center. It is here, in my opinion, that the visit begins… In front of the porch, a magic square. A rider with head of cock then this same rider without its mounting which seeks with maitriser an animal with head of cock, legs of bull, wings of eagle…

An acrobat, outside, shows us the reversal of the initiate.

The bell-tower of barlong plan (longer on a side) which dominates the Eastern span of the nave, presents two bored bay stages in semicircular arch separated by twin posts. The small ones let us modillons (small projecting parts) support the base of the short octogonal stone arrow whose plans, corresponding to the angles of the bell-tower, are connected with him by triangular slopes.

The nave behaves of three spans whose cradle is higher than the vault of the chorus. the sides were completed at one later period.

With the reverse of the frontage, the capitals of the two large imbedded columns are pointed out by the interlacings which decorate them.

In the east and the west, the vault is pressed on two arcs which correspond to consoles decorated with masks. 
Several figures are located under the pillars of the bell-tower whose symbolism appears quite mysterious. They should for my opinion be seen as a whole to find the key of the enigma.

The chorus, arched in cradle semicircular arch and bottom of furnace, was restored. Two pillars date from Xème century.
In the southern side, a stone virgin carved in 1687. But the treasure is not yet there.

The virgin of Meillers

One arrives at the northern vault by a narrow passage at the top of which one notices the escutcheon of a family of Meillers. (obvious druidic symbolic system, with Cernunnos, the oak and the star).

There is Notre-Dame de Meillers, black virgin bourbonnaise and one of oldest, made in the tradition auvergnate. 

it is out of strengthened wood, and still carries traces of polychromy. Cut in walnut tree, it is 0,87 meters high. Only the virgin is of time, her hands, the seat and the child was brought back.

It is splendid, and in spite of its restorations, still goes to wonder.

An address if you want more on the way of building a Romance church:

http://eglisedemeillers.chez-alice.fr/