Abbatiale St-Austremoine Auvergne

Issoire is the proud home of the Auvergne’s most extravagantly decorated Romanesque church. The exterior of this 12th-century edifice is festooned with geometric patterns in white-and-black lava stone, dappled across great ornamental arches. Twelve signs of the zodiac in stone relief have been beautifully restored. Inside, blood-red columns are crowned with depictions from Christ’s life, from the Last Supper to the Resurrection, all painted in vivid colour. Ask in the tourist office about summer guided tours of the church.