Ennezat - Collégiale Saint-Victor et Sainte-Couronne

Around 1060 a small monastery was founded here, funded by William IV, Duke of Aquitaine (aka Fièrebrace - The iron arm).


The building of the romanesque church started immediately and probably only took less than 10 years. This church is counted rightly to the crown jewels of the romanesque architecture in the Auvergne by Bernard Craplet ("Auverne romane").

What makes it so interesting is, that this is the oldest of the crown jewels, as this structure is about 50 years older than Notre-Dame-du-Port, Orcival and Issoire. But it nevertheless shows already all the specific touch, the romanesque style ahs in the Auvergne.

Actually Bernard Craplet places this small church like a stepping stone between the (lost) romanesque cathedral of Étienne II/Pope Stephen II in Clermont and Notre-Dame-du-Port. Though the romanesque church is really small and not complete, this is one of the most important structures in the Auvergne.

The Collégiale Saint-Victor et Sainte-Couronne (now parish church) consists out of three architectural parts. The romanesque church with a transept and a crossing tower, a later added narthex added and a gothic part.

Standig inside the narthex facing east. The romanesque church was built with a decade so the style is very homogenious.. It was pretty small. The nave, seen here, is only 18 meters long and 3,74 meters wide. The aisles are really narrow. Actually the romanesque church only covered some 240m².

Note the side walls, clerestory - and the crossing.