Religious heritage

During the Romanesque period, in the 12^th and 13^th centuries, all of Auvergne experienced remarkable spiritual and artistic ferment. Pays d’Issoire was no exception, with a major example being Saint-Austremoine abbey church, a masterpiece of Romanesque art, but also a large number of churches enhanced by their natural decor and the former castle chapels standing on rocky headlands, which are so characteristic of the region.