The church of Marsat has been known since the 6th century, when Gregory of Tours mentioned it during a visit. The Benedictine nunnery also has an ancient origin and, according to tradition, was founded by Bishop Praejectus of Clermont (†676) and Saint Calminius (7th century), founder, among others, of the monasteries of Saint-Chaffre (Haute-Loire) and Mozac (Puy-de-Dôme). Saint Namadia, wife of Calminius, is said to have entered this community.
The priory of Marsat depended from early times on the abbey of Mozac, a situation confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1165. Both Mozac Abbey and the priory of Marsat were placed under the authority of Cluny Abbey in 1095. Thanks to popular devotion to the Virgin, Marsat became a notable monastery with a wealthy and numerous community. Later it fell into decline, and in 1546 it underwent a disciplinary reform. The community survived until the Revolution, when it was definitively dissolved and its property sold.
The church is still preserved, although much altered, with a nave from the 10th century and a second one added alongside it in the 12th century to serve parochial functions; their respective chevets date from the 16th and 14th centuries. Today it serves as a parish church, where a Romanesque statue of the Virgin is venerated, which, after its 19th-century restoration, appears black in color. Important remains of the cloister and the chapter house are also preserved.
Schematic plan of the church
Image of the Virgin Mary (12th century, restored)
Vue de la porte de l'Eglise de Marsat, près Riom (1820-30)
Jean-Baptiste Jorand
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Facade of the chapter house
Cloister of the Marsat priory, before restoration
Photo of Camille Enlart (1862-1927)
Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - diffusion RMN
- BEAUNIER, Dom (1912). Abbayes et prieurés de l'ancienne France. Vol. 5. Bourges. Abbaye de Ligugé
- CASSAGNES-BROUQUET, Sophie (2016). Vierges noires du sud de la France : forme et diffusion d’un culte. Sedes Sapientiae. Presses universitaires du Midi
- COLLIN, Jean (1672). Histoire de la vie des saints principaux et autres personnes du diocè̀se de Limoges. Limoges: Barbou
- DE RÉSIE, Comte (1855). Histoire de l'église d'Auvergne, depuis saint Austremoine jusqu’a l’année 1560. Clemont-Ferrand: L. Catholique
- GUÉRIN, Paul (1888). Les Petits Bollandistes. Vies des saints. Vol. 10. París: Bloud et Barral
- LEQUENNE, Fernand (1962). Riom, petite ville, grande histoire. Clermont-Ferrand: Bussac
- PERONA, Matthieu (2017). La formation du territoire de Mozac. Des limites médiévales de la justice de l’abbaye à la commune de Mozac. Bulletin Historique et Scientifique de l’Auvergne, 118
The priory of Marsat is located in the village of the same name, near Riom, southwest of the town