Souvigny () is a commune in the

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after ...

department in

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

in central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Today the main town of a canton of the Allier department, Souvigny has long been one of the major towns in the

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

(of which it was once the capital), and the royal

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

was based there. Ties with the nearby

Cluny Abbey Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churche ...

add to its rich history.Town hall website

Population

Tourism

Souvigny was nominated “great regional site of Auvergne” in 1993 on the basis of its architectural riches, and subsequently, in 2003, it was made "great Romanesque sanctuary of Auvergne".

Sights

The museums, gardens, annual exhibitions, and excursions to the priory attract a great many tourists every year. The conserved wooded areas add to interest for tourists. Souvigny Priory houses the remains of two

abbots of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The ...

who died at Souvigny: Mayeul, the fourth abbot (who died in 994) and his successor

Odilon Odilon is a given name of French origin. The name refers to: *Odilo of Cluny, sometimes referred to as St. Odilon *Odilon Barrot (1791–1873), French politician *Odilon Lannelongue (1840–1911), French physician and surgeon *Odilon Polleunis ...

(who died in 1049). Their sepulchres, which had fallen into oblivion after the ravishings of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, were rediscovered by archaeologists in 2001 and 2002. The town has two primary schools and a public nursery school. Public events include: * a botanical fair (in April) * an antiques fair (in May) * a medieval fair (beginning on the last Saturday of July) * autumn music days (last weekend of September) * regional sale of antiquarian books (in November).

Architecture

The Benedictine Priory and priory church of St Peter and St Paul is outstanding in the Bourbonnais region. Beside a few abbots, the Dukes of Bourbon were buried here. In 2010, the burial chapel was restored to mark the 600th anniversary of the death of Duke Louis II of Bourbon who is buried there. The region shows a convergence of styles. While Romanesque buildings in the proper sense are not found here, influences from

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

and Bourguignon are combined. The restoration around 1435 exemplifies a more straightforward

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style.'' arousseEncyclopédie française: La grande encyclopédie'', Paris 1971-76:1902-03

References

Communes of Allier Bourbonnais {{Allier-geo-stub

Population

Tourism

Sights

Architecture

See also

References