05 août 2007
The church of Salt-in-Donzy
In between
Forez, Lyonnais and Roannais, the Morning Mountains are nested in a framework of small valleys and hills, nearby of the Lyonnais Mounts and the river Loire
Salt-in-Donzy,
nested in these mountains, has an antic and rich past. Men
left there marks of all the times: from Gallo-roman period, where an activity develop itself nearby the thermal baths to the medieval time with the site of
Donzy, the church of Roman style, priory… 
But also far before, attested by the discovery of the prehistoric site
of the valley of Charpassonne. Salt, whom name means “which
spouts out”, allusion to the source of hot water of the Gour-Heat, was
an important city at the crossing of two Roman roadways. 
The
church was, with its foundation, the church of the benedictan
priory whose building equipped with a tower remains, not far from the road. This building whose foundations are
Gallo-Roman, was given in 1018 in a state of outdatedness to the abbey
of Savigny to become priory at the same time as a church close under
the term to Saint Julien. The givers were two lords of Donzy, Girlin
and Jarenton, whose castle still offers to us imposing ruins, about two km
from here.
Recent
excavations restored the foundations of this primitive church of 1018.
It had three absidioles in the north visible on the northern side
of the current church. Its basement comprised many burials of the Early
middle ages with their funerary rites (ablation of the feet, reduction
of skeleton). Fragments of engraved bones and a burgonde currency
accompanied them, as well as potteries.
This
pre-Roman church was demolished at the beginning of XIIth century,
and its materials reinstated in the new construction industry, with the
use of the monks and the parish which developed around the priory.
The current church, 1140, is roman, meridionnal influence, in an austere unit. 
The
pilot wheels of the transept are decorated with blind arcades of which
one, equipped with a barrel of column having probably supported a
furnace bridge, ended in a painted absidiole. Cupola in blocking on
rudimentary horns and squared pillars supported the bell-tower. 
The
chorus presents openings in semicircular arch: the small window of left
gives primitive dimension, the other openings having been widened
later.
With transept crossing, the bell-tower rests on four
enormous granite pillars. Each pillar comprises 3 steps in order to
give more lightness to the unit. Two of these pillars are crowned with very
simple capitals: they are the only sculptures of the building. 
On the meridionnal side , in the right arm of the transept, the blank wall is
supported by two arcades in semicircular arch. Between the two, a
fragment of column, vestige of the Roman temple on the ruins of which
the priory of Salt was high.
The
church suffered during the wars of religion. In 1570, a fire destroyed the nave. The church was then reduced to its
only transept. Work of restoration was undertaken after 1614. The
restoration of 1977 made it possible to restore the church in its
primitive provision and made fall the coatings. One rediscovered the
blind arcades of the southern brace then, the door of the bell-tower,
the door of the brace northern, known as “door of the monks”.
In
the apse, a cavity forming “depositorium” was released and formed the
current gate vault. The depositorium was in the beginning an inviolable place, firmly closed, where one placed the holy species during the
disturbed periods.
The
stoup, at the entry, also testifies to the church of 1018. In the right
arm of the transept, on the ground, an enigmatic star is traced…