Église de St-Nectaire

Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne


This ornate Romanesque church on a hilltop is unmissable as you arrive in St-Nectaire, and it's worth the uphill walk to look inside. Within, you'll see a bust of Saint Baudime and a statue of the Virgin Mary, both dating back to the 12th century, and carved capitals atop the columns in the choir.

Scenes from the life of Saint Nectaire, such as raising the dead, are graphically depicted, as well as a tangle of apocalyptic figures judging, lamenting and weighing the souls of the damned.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne attractions

1. Grottes du Cornadore

0.09 MILES

Don a hard hat for a 45-minute tour of St-Nectaire's Roman baths, deep in a cave that glimmers with damp limestone. Two-thousand years ago, these man-made…

2. Maison du Fromage

0.15 MILES

Pick a round of St-Nectaire cheese, along with terrines, jams and other regional nibbles, from this dairy shop across the road from the Grottes du…

3. Fontaines Pétrifiantes

0.35 MILES

The Papon family put St-Nectaire's hot springs to creative use at the 'Petrifying Fountains', channelling the mineral-rich waters to make art. Calcium…

4. La Ferme Bellonte

1.04 MILES

To buy cheese from the source (and get a little muddy), take the winding road 3km uphill from St-Nectaire to this multi-generational family dairy farm…

5. Château de Murol

2.39 MILES

Roosting on a basalt knoll above Murol village, the 12th-century Château de Murol offers peerless views along with insights into a brutish medieval past…

6. Lac Chambon

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The relatively shallow (and thus warmish) waters of Lac Chambon, 1.5km west of Murol, make this crater lake a much-loved place for families to splash…

7. Musée du Ski

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An essential stop for diehard snow-heads, this pocket-sized museum exhibits a collection of vintage ski gear, ice skates, snow shoes and wintry miscellany…

8. Le Beffroy

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One monumental gateway remains of Besse's medieval fortifications, crowned by the octagonal 16th-century Beffroy, the town's most distinctive feature…

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