Saint-Pardoux Church

It is dedicated to Saint Pardoux, to whom popular belief attributes numerous miraculous cures of paralytics with the help of springs, which explains the presence of his cult in Mont-Dore. A statue of the saint is located to the right of the entrance.
This church is atypical in that neither(…)

It is dedicated to Saint Pardoux, to whom popular belief attributes numerous miraculous cures of paralytics with the help of springs, which explains the presence of his cult in Mont-Dore. A statue of the saint is located to the right of the entrance.
This church is atypical in that neither its layout nor its orientation are faithful to tradition. In fact, it doesn’t have the usual cross shape, and it faces north when tradition would have it face east.
But the real originality of this church lies in the modernity and quality of its interior decoration, based on the theme of water. The choir, decorated by Jean Olin (1894-1972), features walls painted blue and decorated with modern ceramic motifs evoking the biblical theme of living water. The work includes six scenes from the New Testament and one from the Old Testament. You’ll also notice the twelve signs of the zodiac surrounding the figures in the main ceramic piece in the nave axis.
The nave’s stained-glass windows, created by master stained-glass artist Jacques Dorchies on the theme of light, with their vivid colors and scrolls, help to reinforce this atmosphere.
On the left-hand ambulatory wall, the other curiosity is the Byzantine lacquer Stations of the Cross, created in 1965 by Line and Claude Malespine. It consists of half a dozen rather dark paintings summarizing the Passion of Christ, illustrating a text by Claudel. One of the earliest examples of Modern Art in Auvergne.

Practical : parking nearby.
Sainte Bernadette Parish : 04 73 81 07 39.