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A little local history and believe us, it's exciting!

The church and the hamlet of Saint-Voy

The hamlet of Saint-Voy, located on the north face of the Saint-Voy rock, 1.5 km from the village of Le Mazet-Saint-Voy, is home to this charming little church.

In Le cartulaire de Chamalières, 1021, mention is made of the existence of the parish of Saint-Voy in connection with the seigniorial villa of Monteillet.
Saint-Evode, undoubtedly the first bishop of Le Puy, who became Saint-Voy after various deformations, most probably gave the parish its name.

The Church and the Protestant Reformation

Since the ^14th century, its history has been closely linked to that of the Protestant Reformation in the region.
As early as 1560, under the influence of parish priest Bonnefoy, the parish joined the great Reformed movement.

It is said that the church was used for Reformed worship for perhaps fifteen years. A temple was built not far from the church in 1598, as Saint-Voy was one of the few places authorized to practice the Reformed religion mentioned in the Edict of Nantes. It would later become known as the Consistoire de Saint-Voy.

The Saint-Voy temple was destroyed in 1679, six years before Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
The country once again experienced difficult times, entering the so-called “desert period”.
Forbidden to worship, the Reformed gathered at the secret arrival of a pastor to regularize baptisms and marriages, which they no longer formalized with the Catholic Church.
One of these large gatherings, at the Dolmen des Pennes, was dispersed by the king’s dragoons in 1749. Since the ^16th century, pastors have left to train in Geneva, where Calvin perfected his doctrine, and the strong link with Switzerland continues to this day.

A tumultuous history to save Saint-Voy Church

In the ^17th century, a bishop mentioned this church with its sunken vault and celebrated mass under a section still standing.

With the Edict of Toleration (1787), Protestants regained civil status, but had to wait until 1789 to obtain true religious freedom.
In 1802, the Organic Articles were published, extending the provisions of the Concordat to Protestant worship. The temple was rebuilt in the ^19th century, in 1822 at Le Mazet.
In 1860, the Fay-Tence road was built. This gave new importance to the hamlet of Le Mazet.
The commune took the name of Mazet-Saint-Voy in 1879.

The chapel became disused in 1905, when church and state property was separated, and reverted to the commune. There was no longer a Catholic parish in Saint-Voy.
The church collapses. It was in ruins when the Association des Amis de Saint-Voy was formed to restore it.

Saint-Voy Church in 360° format

La Haute-Loire en 360 - Chapelle Saint Voy au Mazet Saint Voy

Its restoration and Friends of Saint-Voy

Restored under the influence of an association, the Friends of Saint-Voy produce an annual cultural program of concerts and lectures to continue its upkeep.

Thedeaconesses of Reuilly du Moûtier Saint-Voy lead regular prayer and meditation services.
You can contact them by phone 04 71 65 05 45
Write us an e-mail

The church was added to the Supplementary List of Historic Monuments in July 1972 and inaugurated in 1977.

Remarkable buildings

Built of granite and lauze, the church dates back to the early Romanesque period.
Buildings erected before the year 1000 were very simple, rectangular in shape and often thatched.
Later, construction improved both in terms of solidity and aesthetics.
Vaulted ceilings appeared, and thatch was replaced by lauze. The church underwent several major alterations.

The exterior

If you look at theapse from the outside, you’ll notice that it has five sturdy sides, shouldered at each corner by a massive buttress.

Between the pillars, the windows are curiously arranged, generally facing east, to let in the rays of the rising sun.

As the sun rises in the sky, it heads south.

The bell tower

The bell tower is built on the south side, independent of the church, and is accessed by an external staircase.

It is more recent, as evidenced by the semi-Gothic style ofthe large window in the room above the chapel.
Carved stone figures adorn three of its corners.

The choir

The semicircular eastchoiris the oldest part of the church.

Its openings are unusual.

As you stand facing the choir,the windows turn southwards as you move from left to right, their bases rising in succession, as if to follow the sun’s ascending course.

The nave

The choir is entirely open onto the nave, which has been unique for a very long time. It used to be longer.

Monsieur Thiollier, a specialist in Velay churches, declares with a touch of humor: “When the church was restored in the 17th century, after a visit by the bishop of Le Puy, Just de Serres, it seemed too big for the Catholic population. So it was shortened!

The nave was once vaulted, but after the French Revolution (the church had been burnt down) the vault was replaced by panelling.

The porch

The Romanesque porch features three magnificent voussoirs, despite their simplicity.
The beautiful carved wooden door is the work of one of the last priests of Saint-Voy. Two delicate sculptural elements stand out, the wheat and the vine, which one might think refer to the Last Supper.

Guided tours

Guided tours of Saint-Voy church are offered every summer by the Amis de Saint-Voy or Environnement et Patrimoine associations.
Accompanied by Jean-Claude Soubeyrand, discover the religious history of the church and temple.