11 juin 2007
The Saint-Pourçain church and the fountain-laundrette in Louchy
Located
at the Western borders of the old diocese of Clermont, the current
commune of Louchy covers the territory with two old parishes, from
which one, located near the fortress of Montfan disappeared.
The
current church rises in the middle of a small place. It is composed of
a short nave of two spans and of a transept novels, auquels was added
to XIVème century two vaults seigneuriales in north and two in the
quadrangular south of plan, as well as the chorus of pentagonal plan.
In XIVème century, one raised also the bell-tower at square base and
the second octagonal level, which in the beginning would have crowned
being of an arrow.
The
heart, articulated by veins, is thus Gothic. God in majesty dominates
in the content, fragment of a more important sculpture. 
The
murals, which undoubtedly covered the unit with the monument, also go
up at the time medieval for oldest. In the nave, the broken cradle is
typically Burgundian. It reflects the influence of Tournus. The church
appearing too small, one bored the very thick goutteraux walls and
released four arcades to increase the building on the sides.
The Saint-Pourçain church
is thus named in remembering Porcianus, child of the village. Born into
450, he was slave of a frank lord, Mangulfus, owner of a villa.
Porcianus kept its pigs. To be maltreated mow, it flees and found
refuge with the abbey of Mirande. Mangulfus recovered the kid, and the
legend wants that God offusqua is made it blind. touched by the fate of
sound maitre, Porcianus requested God to cure it. The miracle is
achieved.
Mangulfus,
touched by the grace, frees its pig-keeper. Become monk, it was devoted
to the word of God and to protect his fellow-citizens from the
invaders. Thus it defended Auvergne of the devastations of Thierry wire
of Clovis and king d' Austrasie, before dying towards 532. The church
belonged at the origin with the priory of Saint-Pourçain who belonged
to the monastery Benedictine of Tournus. With the top of the porch is
still visible a revolutionary inscription making of the church the
“temple of the reason”.
A little further, the Saint-Pourçain fountain is presented in the form of a laundrette at the very old basin, in perfect state.
Water
is abundant there and of very good quality. It was built where the body
of the saint would initially have been buried. Its water relieves the
burns.