This monastery was founded on the site where, according to tradition, Bishop Praejectus (or Prix) of Clermont was martyred, an event dated around the year 676. The founder of the establishment was his successor, Bishop Avitus II (676–691), who brought here the relics of Saint Austromoine from Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme). These relics remained in Volvic until 848, when they were transferred to Mozac (Puy-de-Dôme).
The monastery of Volvic became a priory of Mozac before 1169, probably as early as 1131. In 1095, the Abbey of Mozac had been placed under the authority of Cluny (Saône-et-Loire), and as a result, Saint-Priest de Volvic also came under the Cluniac sphere. An inscription preserved on one of the capitals of the ambulatory refers to Guillaume de Bezac, a figure believed to have played an important role in this incorporation into Mozac. The priory of Volvic remained dependent on Mozac until the Revolution, when the establishment was suppressed.
The present church is largely Neo-Romanesque, as only the chevet preserves medieval elements. In the ambulatory survive several sculpted capitals dating from the first half of the 12th century, one of which mentions Guillaume de Bezac as its patron. The ancient structures of the priory and much of the church were lost at an unknown date and were rebuilt from the mid-19th century onwards.
19th century facade
Chancel and ambulatory
Ambulatory capital
Angels holding banners
Ambulatory capital
Cleric with scales and a spear
Ambulatory capital
Cleric clinging to a column,
next to a shrine with an altar
Ambulatory capital
Angels holding phylacteries with the names of the Evangelists
Romanesque grille
Virgin and Child (14th century)
Church before reconstruction
Jean-Baptiste Jorand (19th century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
- CRAPLET, Bernard (1972). Auvergne romane. La nuit des temps, 2. Zodiaque
- GUÉRIN, Paul (1888). Les Petits Bollandistes. Vies des saints. Vol. 1. París: Bloud et Barral
- MARIAUX, Pierre-Alain (2008). Mettre en scène le souvenir du fondateur laïc. Note sur les chapiteaux du chœur de Saint-Priest de Volvic. Collection d'études médiévales de Nice. Vol. 7. Brepols
- ROUX, Caroline (2003). Saint-Priest de Volvic. 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
- TARDIEU, Ambroise (1877). Grand dictionnaire historique du département du Puy-de-Dôme. Moulins: Desrosiers
Volvic lies to the west of Mozac and Riom