Priory of Saint-Pierre de Montverdun

Relics of Saint Porcarius of Lerins (7th century) were venerated in the priory church, and a late tradition claimed that he himself had founded the place. The priory of Saint-Médard (Loire), located east of Montverdun, was dependent on it. Until 1233 it was a priory of Augustinian canons linked to Savigny, but that year, under an agreement between Count Guigues IV of Forez († 1241) and the Archbishop of Lyon, Robert d'Auvergne († 1234), the site was transferred to the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (Haute-Loire), where its state of decline was expressly mentioned. The community of canons was expelled and the priory was taken over by monks from La Chaise-Dieu.

After the Revolution the site was put to various uses and some of its buildings were lost. In the last decades of the 20th century archaeological research and restoration works were carried out. The original church consisted of a single nave, with a transept and three semicircular apses; this chancel area is the oldest part (12th century). The nave was rebuilt in the 13th century, and later a second nave was added, attached to its southern side. Besides the 13th-century walls, other, more modern constructions survive south of the church, next to the place where the cloister was located.