Collegiate Church of Saint-Victor and Sainte-Couronne of Ennezat
Eniziacus / Annaziacus / Ainezac
(Ennezat, Puy-de-Dôme)
The collegiate church of Saint-Victor and Sainte-Couronne of Ennezat was founded by Count William VI of Poitiers, Duke of Aquitaine (1058–1086), during the pontificate of Alexander II, that is, between 1061 and 1073. The church was dedicated to the martyrs Victor and Corona of Damascus. The founder placed his estates in Ennezat at the disposal of the new establishment.
The present building preserves the structure of three narrow naves dating from the foundation period (11th–12th centuries), with a transept and central dome surmounted by a renovated bell tower. Originally, the chevet consisted of a large central apse with ambulatory, as is common in the region. This part was demolished in the 13th century to extend the church, keeping the width of the transept and adding a new chevet with five radiating chapels. It also had a narthex at the western end, modified in the 13th-century works and rebuilt during the 19th-century restoration. Inside, remarkable 15th-century wall paintings are preserved.
The present building preserves the structure of three narrow naves dating from the foundation period (11th–12th centuries), with a transept and central dome surmounted by a renovated bell tower. Originally, the chevet consisted of a large central apse with ambulatory, as is common in the region. This part was demolished in the 13th century to extend the church, keeping the width of the transept and adding a new chevet with five radiating chapels. It also had a narthex at the western end, modified in the 13th-century works and rebuilt during the 19th-century restoration. Inside, remarkable 15th-century wall paintings are preserved.
Schematic plan of the church
Mural of the three living and the three dead (1420)
Mural of the three living and the three dead (1420)
Mural of the three living and the three dead (1420)
Religious in front of the enthroned Virgin Mary
Last Judgment (1405)
Last Judgment (1405)
Last Judgment (1405)
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- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5. Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- CRAPLET, Bernard (1972). Auvergne romane. La nuit des temps, 2. Zodiaque
- DESHOULIÈRES, M.; i altres (1925). Ennezat. Congrès Archéologique de France. 87 ss. París: Picard
- LÜDDECKE, Fiona (2017). La « frise des abbés d’Ennezat ». Memòria
- PHALIP, Bruno (2003). L’église d’Ennezat : l’œuvre romane. Congrès archéologique de France. 158 ss. Basse-Auvergne, Grande Limagne. Société Française d’Archéologie
- RAVAUX, Jean-Pierre (2003). L’Église d’Ennezat : les campagnes gothiques. Congrès archéologique de France. 158 ss. Basse-Auvergne, Grande Limagne. Société Française d’Archéologie
- SAINT-MAUR, Congregació de (1720). Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa. Vol. 2. París: Typographia Regia
The commune of Ennezat is located east of Riom