Saint-Sébastien Church

The current church, built in 1907 to plans by architect François Picard, replaces an earlier church destroyed in 1903. It has three bells with diameters of :

630 cm date 1833
790 cm date 1833
1250 cm date 1904

The information we have on the(…)

The current church, built in 1907 to plans by architect François Picard, replaces an earlier church destroyed in 1903. It has three bells with diameters of :

630 cm date 1833
790 cm date 1833
1250 cm date 1904

The information we have on the original church comes from the description given by the architect François Picard, who built the new church in Bagnols. The report on the state of the church in Saint-Genès-Champespe that he sent to the commune on August 19, 1897 provides us with a wealth of details :

The church measured 18m50 in length and 5m50 in width. The circular choir was the oldest part of the edifice, adorned with modillions. The nave was in the form of a single vessel, flanked by two side chapels opening with a pointed arch. A porch, protected by the bell tower, provided the opening in the south wall. The church’s advanced state of deterioration prompted the commune to demolish it and rebuild a new one.

François Picard was put in charge of the project, and an estimate was published in 1900, while the departmental council for civil buildings gave the project a favorable opinion, with the proviso that the width of the aisles be reduced, and emphasizing the sobriety of its Romanesque character. In 1901, specifications were drawn up and the work was awarded to Mayade, a contractor based in Issoire. The work was finally handed over on September 8, 1907.