At the heart of the Auvergne Volcanoes Park, village character, green holiday resort.
The village is located in Orcival Valley Sioulot. The name of the village has attracted numerous interpretations: "Ourche Val" (Valley of the Source), "Ursus Vallius" (Bear Valley) or "Valley of Orcus" (Gallic god of the underworld).
Originally from Orcival has sometimes been mistaken for a pagan temple dedicated to the worship of sources. The existence of a village that is attested to the 11th century with the establishment of a priory belonging to the monastery of Chaise-Dieu. In the 11th century, there was a church surrounded by a cemetery west of the village is a venerated statue of the Virgin carved, according to legend, by St. Luke.
The current basilica was built in the 12th century. The reasons for this building are certainly related to the possession of relics and a pilgrimage to the growing success.