Church of Notre-Dame de Valbenoîte

The Church of Notre-Dame de Valbenoîte is an ancient Cistercian abbey probably founded in 1184. In 1380, the monastery was rebuilt as a fortified abbey. In 1570, the Protestants of Gaspard II de Coligny (1519-1572) sacked the monastery. The monks were massacred and the church demolished. Reconstruction continued until the 17th century, and the main staircase dates from this period. The monastery burned down in 1779. The dissolution of the monastery during the French Revolution in 1790 expelled the remaining monks. The church became a parish church.

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Aubry Françon

Grand'Église

The Grand'Église or church of Saint-Étienne and Saint-Laurent is said to have existed since the 5th century in the form of a chapel. In 1310, a bequest from Jocerand d'Urgel, Lord of Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, allowed the reconstruction of the church of Saint-Etienne-de-Furan in its present form. The church is built in the Forézien Gothic style in sandstone and has a flamboyant Gothic choir. It has three naves with five bays and a transept.

Wikimedia Commons

Basilica of Saint-Jean-François-Régis et Sainte-Agathe

Place of pilgrimage to Saint Jean-François Régis and Saint Thérèse Couderc, the village of Lalouvesc is famous for its neo-Byzantine style basilica dedicated to Saint Régis, built in the 19th century by the architect of Notre-Dame de Fourvière de Lyon, Pierre Bossan. Inside, the paintings in the choir retrace the history of the pilgrimage, the stained glass windows illustrate the life of Saint Jean-François Régis, and a shrine contains the relics of the saint.