Priory CHrch of St Romain le Puy .France

Located 30 minutes from Saint-Étienne in the Loire department, the Priory crowns the summit of a basalt cone where, in the warmer months, a discreet Mediterranean flora flourishes (fig trees, anise, almond trees). Dominating the plain and its inhabitants with an exceptional panorama, it proudly displays the vestiges of its past splendor. The priory church of Saint-Romain-le-Puy is one of the most prestigious examples of Romanesque art in the Forez region. Its architecture testifies to the artistic intensity of the year 1000, at the crossroads of Carolingian and Romanesque art. Several phases of construction can be identified: a 5th-century funerary building, a nave from the late 10th century, an 11th-century choir, and Gothic embellishments. Sections of frescoes from the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 15th centuries cover part of the walls. The columns and capitals, which support the columns and arcades, display an extraordinary variety of themes and motifs imbued with Mediterranean influence (fantastic animals, interlacing patterns, symbolic figures, floral motifs). It has been listed as a historical monument since 1899.