11 juin 2007
Notre-Dame of Montluçon
Montlucon
The
foundation of city PERT in a fog of uncertainties which sees it
appearing according to an assumption of archaeologist in Celtic
quartering…
What is sure is that in these moved back times where the
Roman empire brought its majestic splendour to frustrate Gallic, it is
that a troop of the eighth legion, the Octava-Augusta legion was
located in the city of Neriomagus, future aquae Nerii, future Néris the
Baths, whose hot source granted its benefits to the poor légionaries in
the current of the first century…
A few kilometres from there, a
rock piton dominated the valley of the “curries” (expensive). Strategic
place bus located at an important crossroads of Roman ways, this piton,
with the foot of which the river curves, saw Lucius, to install a
oppidum in advanced station there. The place took the name of Lucius
Mount then…
With
the fall of Rome, the night fall on Europe and Montlucon, and the
barbarians invade… Montlucon passes under the aegis of the kingdom of
Aquitaine (5th century) before becoming again French, thanks to the
victory of Pip the Brief over the dukes of Aquitaine (VIIIème century).
In
XIème century the fortress of Assembles Lucii is mentioned: it is about
a first outline of the castle built by Guillaume, wire of Archambaud IV
of Bourbon, on the remainders of the castrum of Lucius. The
construction of the Saint-Pierre church starts then.
In
XIIème century, the city will undergo the first attacks of its sighing;
neighbor of the “border” between the possessions of kings de France and
England, Montlucon guerroya, resisted but was overcome and submitted to
the English of 1171 to 1188. 
It
is Guy de Dampierre who, on order of Philippe Auguste, released the
city. Then seat of a baronnie, Montlucon will pass under the protection
of the Bourbons and becomes a châtellenie.
The
city is then managed by the consuls who must protest against the abuses
the lords on the rights of montluçonnais. The chapître Saint Nicolas's
Day is built about 1250 and is to date the oldest building of the city.
A raptor, high in the sky, accomodated me.
The church 
Notre-Dame
of Montlucon is a church with two naves whose construction is spread
out over three century. The stages are found on the frontage giving on
the place, of is in west, on the 6 large windows: the first two bays
with 4 sheets in the rubble fillings, two following bays blazing, two
others with the purified layout of the XVIIème century. The place was
formerly a cemetery, one found there tomb stones and many vases with
water bénite.
This place the passage leaves the deanery, of XIIIème century, driving with the Saint-Louis vault.
A first Romance church with single nave finished in the east by three apses: only one remains.
In
XIVème century, the rebuilding begin with the chorus and the first span
from the side aisle. The capitals are furnished with vegetable reasons.
The
apse in hemicycle is located in a court. It is the witness of the
Romance time. One finds there the vestiges of the old cloister of
XIIIème century in the prolongation of the old transept. The ground is
out of rollers of river, typical Montluçonnaises constructions.
The
bedside is dominated by the bell-tower and marks the beginning of the
street Notre-Dame bordered of private mansions and houses of XVème and
XIV ème centuries. This flat bedside corresponds to a rectangular
chorus. It is lit by a large Gothic bay with the quadrilobate rubble
fillings, surmiontés of a stone balustrade of the XIV ème and XVème
centuries. The bell-tower presents on each face two trefoil bays.
Before 1706, a stone arrow surmounted it.
In
XVème century, one establishes the vaults of the two naves. Their veins
penetrate in the round pillars, deprived of capitals. With XVIIème, one
finishes the building in the west. The large gate goes back to 1622.
Virgins of Notre-Dame of Montlucon
We find inside the church a virgin sitting out of gilded wood, in the middle of a large retable of the XVIIème century.
On
the western door of the cathedral, outside, in a niche, is held a black
virgin. From which does it come? I do not have any information when
with his source, nor if it is a recent copy. It seems to to me that it
is the copy of another known black virgin… Would Montlucon make me lose
the memory?
http://www.mairie-montlucon.fr/php/decouvrir/histoire/historique.php
The place of the fountain
The
fountain located at the center of the place is typical public fountains
of XVIème century. Its tank supported by an octagonal pilmier emerging
from a basin with eight sides is surmounted by its lid of origin.
Its
food came from a source collected with localities the “Conches”, out
the walls. Water was ammenée here, then Saint-Pierre place by a
sandstone control passing out of siphon under the ditches and the
ramparts of the city.