• Priory of Notre-Dame de L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort

    Rochifort

    (L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort, Loire)

    • L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    orde
    Benedictine

    The priory of L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort, documented since the 12th century, was a dependency of the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (Haute-Loire). It was probably the lords of Rochefort who granted this site to La Chaise-Dieu. In the mid-14th century, it suffered from the turmoil caused by the Hundred Years’ War, and in 1367 the priory and several nearby houses were attacked, causing significant damage.

    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame

    During the 15th century, work was undertaken to enclose the settlement and the priory itself with a wall. The priory, which came to be attached to the town’s fortifications, also had its own defensive enclosure separating it from the latter. At the end of that century, some reforms were carried out and part of this inner defence, no longer useful, was demolished. In the first half of the 17th century the site fell into decline, becoming almost uninhabited, which led to repair works. After the Revolution, with monastic life abandoned, much of its buildings passed into private hands.

    Despite the transformations it has undergone over time, the place still retains the appearance of the 17th century. The church is a Romanesque building consisting of a single nave with two bays, a transept and three semicircular apses. The chevet is the oldest part and preserves Romanesque capitals. The west façade has a pointed portal and, above it, a bell-wall with four openings. Inside, a statue of the Virgin and Child attributed to the school of Michel Colombe (†1515) is venerated. The apse preserves mural paintings from the late 15th century, contemporary with the works carried out at that time.

    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    Virgin and Child (16th century)
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Priory of Notre-Dame
    Photo by Mossot, on Wikimedia
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort
    Wall portal
    Bibliography:
    • AUBERT, R. (1993). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques. Vol. 24. París: Letouzey et Ané
    • BEIGBEDER, Olivier (1962). Forez-Velay roman. La nuit des temps, 15. Zodiaque
    • COTTINEAU, Laurent-Henri (1936). Répertoire topo-bibliographique des abbayes et prieurés. Vol. 1. Mâcon: Protat
    • DESHOULIÈRES, François (1937). La Vierge de l'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort (Loire). Bulletin Monumental, vol. 96
    • FAURE, Abbé; i altres (1905). Excursion archéologique à Rochefort, Saint-Laurent-en-Solore et L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort. Bulletin de la Diana, vol. 14
    • GAUSSIN, Pierre-Roger (1967). Huit siècles d’histoire : L’abbaye de la Chaisse-Dieu, 1043-1790. Almanach de Brioude
    • LUGNIER, A. (1956). L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort. Bulletin de la Diana, vol. 34/4
    • MARCOUX, Pierre; i altres (2011). Le Prieuré. L’Armorial de Guillaume Revel. Alpara
    Location:
    Vista aèria

    The small village of L'Hôpital-sous-Rochefort is located in a mountainous area, between Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand

    Created: December 2025