This was a Benedictine priory founded by Bishop Étienne II of Clermont (942-984), probably on the site of an earlier female monastery that had remained abandoned for many years after a Norman invasion. At the time of its foundation, or rather refoundation, the priory was placed under the authority of the great Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Mozac (Puy-de-Dôme).
The priory was dedicated to Saint Leodegar of Autun († 678), contemporary of Bishop Saint Praejectus of Clermont († 676), whom tradition associates with the first monastic establishment in Royat. In 1095, when Mozac was brought under the authority of Cluny Abbey with the support of the Counts of Auvergne, the priory of Royat followed the same path. In 1169, King Louis VII the Younger of France (1120-1180) included it in a document confirming Mozac’s possessions. The site was fortified during the 13th and 14th centuries, and the monastic buildings were altered in the 16th century.
In Royat, the church that remains has a single nave with two bays, preceded by a narthex. It also has a transept, a single rectangular apse, and a crypt. The building, erected at the time of its foundation, has undergone many alterations: already in the 12th century, later when it was fortified, and finally in the 19th century during restoration works, when the old bell tower was lost. The conventual buildings to the north of the church are also preserved.
Priory plan
Published in Royat historique, archéologique et pittoresque (1928)
Illustration from Historia de la Francia (1841)
Illustration from L'ancienne Auvergne et le Velay (1843)
- 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
- LE BAS, Philippe (1841). Historia de la Francia. Vol. 4. Barcelona: Imp. Nacional
- MICHEL, Adolphe (1843). L'ancienne Auvergne et le Velay. Histoire, archéologie, moeurs, topographie IV. Atlas. Moulins
- RANQUET, Emmanuel du (1928). Royat historique, archéologique et pittoresque. L'Auvergne littéraire et artistique, núm. 37
- RANQUET, H. du (1925). Royat. Congrès archéologique de France, 87 ss. Société française d'archéologie
- ROUVRAY, Louis de (1958). Prieuré de Royat , son église, son histoire
- TARDIEU, Ambroise (1902). Histoire illustrée du bourg de Royat en Auvergne. Clermont-Ferrand. Raelot
Royat is located to the west of Clermont-Ferrand