Ébreuil is a small town of character located south of the department of Allier, bordering the Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 25 km west of Vichy.
Bathed by the Sioule and several of its tributaries, the locality has developed thanks to the establishment of an important abbey in the 11th century and then by the cultivation of the vine, stopped in the 19th century by the phylloxera crisis, and the exploitation of lime.
Counting nearly 1,300 inhabitants (against the double in the nineteenth century), Ébreuil has retained an agricultural, craft and commercial, while becoming a tourist destination with the label Green Station and Small City of Character thanks to its preserved natural environment and its built heritage of quality.
It is its abbey church Saint-Léger which is the unavoidable major asset of the historical inheritance of the commune. It testifies to the wealth of the abbey founded in 1080 which itself succeeded the monastery where monks fleeing the Normans had established themselves, protected by King Lothaire: this one, son of Louis the Pious and grandson of Charlemagne had made Ébreuil one of his residences. The building is one of the oldest works of the Romanesque school in Auvergne. The three-storey bell tower, built in the 12th century, has blind arcades on the first level, which may suggest that it was designed as a defensive dungeon. The rest of the facade and the nave date from the 11th century. The abbey is one of the very few churches in France and the only one in Auvergne to have a nave of Carolingian style of the eleventh century. The remarkable framing and murals are unique. The wall paintings of the tribune dating from the first quarter of the twelfth century are no longer visited, but a photographic triptych in the north aisle can admire. Free visit but access to the frescoes on reservation. Contact the +33 4 70 90 77 55.
On the heights of the town, to see also, the chapel Sainte-Foy, restored in the twentieth century but whose origin dates back to the end of the tenth century.
A visit of the other architectural heritage elements will include the old hospital (also known as the Charitans Hospital), which replaced the convent buildings of the abbey around 1770. The room which served as a pharmacy, dressed in woodwork, retains remarkable objects: stove and faience fountain, pharmacy pots, vases, dishes and tin plates. The entrance gate, the staircase and its wrought iron banister are also remarkable.
We will not forget the halls, as well as three privately owned properties, some of which are nevertheless worth seeing: the fifteenth-century watch-tower house, the Châtelard castle (fourteenth and sixteenth centuries), with its roof adorned with four towers and its walkway, or the castle of La Grave, west of the town (sixteenth), which belonged to the uncle of the Marquis de Sade.
The Tourist Office offers a tour of the city and its most emblematic sites, heritage or natural, as the reach of the Sioule, with an audio guide. Information on +33 4 70 90 77 55.
Another way to go back in time: visit the museum of Farrier to know everything about what was once essential know-how. Open from April to September by appointment at +33 6 75 88 79 88.
One can also discover the last quarry and production unit of lime and lime paste. Guided tour by the operator himself who inherited the know-how of his ancestors. Reservation at +33 4 70 90 76 10.
To enjoy the green environment of the village, we can make step to the water plan on the banks of the Sioule. Watch out, unsupervised bathing. Picnic area, fishing pontoon. Information on +33 4 70 90 77 55.
A base of canoe-kayak nearby allows to go down the river to conjugate sport and discovery of the nature. Contact the +33 7 60 84 78 90.
For rides on horseback, we will join the equestrian center of Ébreuil on +33 4 70 90 77 52 and to play a game of tennis, we will contact the local club at +33 4 70 90 71 33.
Lastly, hikers and mountain bikers have plenty of circuits and trails on site, including the Pays de Val de Sioule GR (70 km) and portions of the GR 300 (Saint-Jacques du Bourbonnais trail). Other routes include natural areas protected under their biodiversity. All information at +33 4 70 90 77 55.