Church Art and a Late Romanesque Portal

Saint-Léopardin-d'Augy offers a glimpse of church art, a preserved Late Romanesque portal and a cycling loop to the banks of the Allier. Its distinctive features range from Neo-Romanesque murals to a specific cycling route. When planning your visit, it is worth bearing in mind the different access and visiting arrangements.

The interior of the church in Saint-Léopardin-d'Augy is entirely decorated with Neo-Romanesque murals, created by Canon Paul Taconnet in 1882. The church also has a set of 20 stained-glass windows. The murals and windows are two distinct features of the church’s decoration: the paintings adorn the entire interior, while the windows form a set with a fixed number. The term Neo-Romanesque describes the style of the murals; 1882 is the year they were created.

Only the portal of the former Romanesque church remains; it serves as the entrance to the cemetery. It dates from the Late Romanesque period and has a round-arched tympanum, an archivolt with three mouldings, and columns with carved capitals. The tympanum is the field within the portal arch, the archivolt frames the arch, and the capitals form the top of the columns. The entrance’s structure can thus be traced through several distinct architectural elements.

Visiting Saint-Martin Church

The present-day Saint-Martin Church was built around 1871 in the Neo-Byzantine style. It is closed; individual visits without a guide are possible by request. During opening hours, keys are available on request from the town hall or post office. Check local access information before your visit.

Cycling Loop and Historic Sites

The moderately difficult cycling loop “Dans le port de Saint-Léo, y'a des marins qui chantent!” is 15.3 kilometres long and takes about 1 hour and 2 minutes. It leads to the banks of the Allier and Port Barreau, through the Bois de Saint-Léopardin and along the Château du Plessis. Check the route conditions before setting off.

Port Barreau is associated with Saint-Léopardin-d'Augy's former shipping activity. This included its own port and extensive port facilities for shipping on the Allier and transporting goods. The Château du Plessis belonged to the same family for more than six centuries. The cycling loop therefore brings together river history and a historic building, though the two sites do not share the same story.

As another way to explore the area, the GR®300 long-distance hiking trail runs from north to south through Allier and includes Saint-Léopardin-d'Augy as one of its stops. The options offer different formats: a moderately difficult cycling loop with a stated distance and approximate duration, and a long-distance hiking trail running north to south. This can help you decide whether a specific cycling loop or a stop along a longer hiking route better suits your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Châtel-Montagne, Marcillat-en-Combraille, Buxières-Les-Mines, La Chabanne, Bézenet, Durdat-Larequille, Saint-Désiré, Treignat.

For the wider travel overview: Allier.