11 juin 2007
Saint-Amable of Riom
The
name of Riom is of origin Celtic: Ricomagum, the borough arverne,
(Vicus Ricomagensis) “the rich person gone”, of rico, rich person and
of magum, gone, indicates an economic center to the important
commercial functions with the crossroads of two great ways, the road of
the valley Allier (the Claudia way connecting Augusto-Nemetum,
Clermont-Ferrand, in Avaricum, Bourges) and that of the Atlantic Ocean.
The
area of Riom was probably populated early. Can one advance a human
presence around 20.000 years before the Christian era? Polished axes,
objects out of flint, scrapers have summers found during excavations.
At
the time Gallo-Roman, Riom is then an agglomeration with agricultural
vocation without known fortifications which will become at the end of
IVème century the seat of a vast primitive parish. No vestige of this
time is visible in the old city but the Gallo-Roman settlement is
attested by the presence of villae in the close countryside.
At
the 5th century, Saint Amable melts a sanctuary, the Saint-Benign
church, then a baptistry. It dies into 475. In VIIème, the church is
increased and takes the name of Amable Saint. In 1077, a chapter of
canons settles. In 1212, Riom becomes capital ground of Auvergne. In
1477 and 1490: several series of earthquakes destroy a good part of the
area riomoise.
Amable saint
It
exerted its ministry in the church of Riom, then was called with the
episcopal see of Auvergne (Clermont), probably by saint Sidoine
Apollinaire.
It is told that with its voice the poisonous animals
and the demons fled. The images and medals representing the saint
always carry this inscription “the demon flees, as well as the snake
and fire”. One can see in Mirecourt, a fabric of the XVIIème century
representing holy Amable, saint considered to protect from the snakes
and the wizards.
It died one November 11 of the end of the 5th century. Its festival was however always celebrated on June 11.
Its
tomb with Clermont was the place of several miracles whose holy
Gregoire de Tours was pilot and which it reports to us. Xème century,
one carried out the translation of his relics of Clermont with Riom
where one placed them in the Saint-Benign church.
The basilica 
The
basilica Saint-Amable in Riom, the vastest building of the diocese
after the cathedral of Clermont, is dedicated to the saint since VIIème
century. It was built in the place of an old vault which Saint Amable
made build, at the same time as a baptistry, on the site of an old
vault dedicated to Saint Gervais and Saint Protais, about year 450 and
in which he was buried into 475.
The building is served by a chapter of canons of Saint-Augustin since 1077 and becomes secular in 1548.
Raised
with the row of collegial, the primitive church was replaced in XIIème
century by a Romance construction carried out with the diligence of the
bishops of Clermont, undoubtedly by Etienne de Mercoeur. Of this large
church, only remains today the nave of seven spans to the cradle broken
without beams with sides surmounted above large arcades in tierce
points of platforms and some elements of a vast overflowing transept.
All the other parts were the subject of multiple successive
transformations.
With
the Revolution, the church becomes a salpetre workshop. Eighteen months
later, it is returned to the worship. It is entitled basilica since
1912. Its architecture is complex since it is marked by all the
periods:
The nave bordered of two sides
is of Romance style although it is built out of stone of Volvic
(volcanic stone) only employed starting from XIIIe century. It would be
thus about a late novel.
The
chorus with bedside with déambulatoire and three radiating chapels
rebuilds with typically Gothic XIIIème century and radiating chapels
(1230-1255).
The vaults blazing Gothic north of style (fine XIVème century).
Southern vaults going back to 1747 (they fill the demolition of the cloister at that time).
The western frontage of 1750.
The transept and the bell-tower which are rebuilt in 1855. The arrow of the bell-tower had been removed with the Revolution.
The
Saint-Amable basilica is remarkable by his exceptional dimensions:
64,50 m by 27 m; (Romance nave: width 6,97 m, height 16,15 m); (sides:
width 3,50 m, height 7,70 m).
It is it also by the architecture of its Gothic chorus which represents with its three spans and its roundabout, one of the first testimonys of the introduction of the new style in Auvergne.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riom
http://membres.lycos.fr/jpax/histoire.html
Notre-Dame of Taxat-Senat ?
With
the Mandet museum the supposed statue of Notre-Dame of Taxat-Senat is.
This statue representing a virgin in majesty dates from XIIème century
and thus comes from the area from Clermont-Ferrand.
It has a cavity dug in its back and a trace of medallion on the level
of the neck which leave think that it was used as reliquary, like
Notre-Dame de Vauclair.