The Heritage Loop offers a diversity of landscapes, from alluvial forest to gravel pits, shallows, meadows and hillsides, each home to its own flora and fauna, where animals still graze. Here and there, vestiges of a vernacular heritage emerge, bearing witness to the daily practices of an intense past life. Riding along the ridge offers a panoramic view of the Montagne Bourbonnaise to the east and the Chaîne des Puys to the west. A real treat for the eyes!
The Heritage Loop is also a journey through time.
The Saint-Martin site, in the commune of Creuzier-le-Vieux, offers a vast and eclectic historical chronology, which is being revealed as studies and research continue. A Merovingian necropolis - of exceptional interest according to the experts - a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Martin, a 15th-century seigniorial dwelling and a more recent burial site occupied by renowned figures all coexist on this small site.
Crossing Saint-Germain-des-Fossés leads to a number of remarkable sites. To the south of the town, a Cluniac priory stands alongside a painted Romanesque church dedicated to Notre-Dame, 12th-century convent buildings and a 17th-century dovecote. In the center stands the Notre-Dame basilica, with its choir featuring a stone representation of the Miraculous Virgin and magnificent stained-glass windows. A little further north, you'll find the majestic Parc des Épigeards, with its many tree species.
At the northern end of the town, overlooking the River Allier, the Billy fortress is a closed-court castle, listed as a heritage site by the Sires de Bourbon in the 13th century. The painted church of Saint-Cyr-Sainte-Julitte, on the site of a 6th-century priory, covers an 11th-century Romanesque crypt.
Along its 22 km - punctuated by escape routes - the Heritage Loop offers an alternating immersion in natural and historical heritage, to better appreciate the richness of our environment.
