Commented tour of the Medieval Quarter

Please refer to the schedule via the following link:
Departure : Tourism Office, Place de la Mairie, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7

French visit

Hôpital d’Aligre et ancien Thermes

Commented tour District St-Léger (Thermal)

Please refer to the schedule via the following link
Departure : Place d’Aligre (Esplanade), Thermal District, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration : Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7
Includes a visit to the historic Thermal Baths and the Aligre Chapel.

French visit

Commented tour Church of Saint Nazaire

Please refer to the schedule via the following link:
Departure : Church Saint Nazaire, Rue du Musée, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7

French visit

Commented tour of the Sacré Coeur Church

Please refer to the schedule via the following link:
Departure : Sacré Coeur Church, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7

French visit

Vue de Bourbon-Lancy

Commented tour town center

Please refer to the schedule via the following link
Departure : Place d’Aligre (Esplanade), Thermal District, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration : Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7
Includes a visit to the historic Thermal Baths and the Aligre Chapel.

French visit

Intérieur Eglise-Musée Saint Nazaire

Commented walk exploring the traces of the ancient churches of Bourbon-Lancy

Please refer to the schedule via the following link
Departure :Tourisme Office, Place de la mairie, 71140 BOURBON-LANCY
Duration : Approximately 2 hours
Price : €5 per adult – €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 – Free for children under 7
Includes a visit to the historic Thermal Baths and the Aligre Chapel.

French visit

Built in the neo-Gothic style, it was constructed in 1881 and consecrated by Cardinal Perraud on October 20, 1896.

It stands on the site of the chapel and convent of the Ursulines, which, during the Revolution, was transformed into “public meeting halls” and later demolished. All that remains is the cross from the bell tower, which was placed on the road to Chalmoux, and the white stone altar donated to the Ursulines’ church by Louis and Pauline Pinot in 1857, now located in the current church.

The front of this altar is designed as an open triptych, with its hinges formed by tall columns topped with Corinthian capitals.

At the top of the altar runs the rampart of a city with its towers and battlements, representing the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling place of Christ and the saints.
The central panel, depicting the crowned Virgin with the Child, reflects the Ursulines’ devotion to Mary.
To her right is Saint John the Evangelist, the patron saint of the parish of Bourbon-Lancy since the 1990s.
To her left is Saint Joseph holding the flowering staff, a sign of his election as the spouse of Mary.

The two neighboring statues are Saint Louis, crowned, and Saint Paul, named after the donors.

On the two small panels are depicted Saint Celsus, holding the palm of martyrdom, and Saint Nazaire, the historical patron saint of Bourbon-Lancy and protector of Saint Celsus.

Two angels frame the triptych: the angel of the Word of God and the angel of the Eucharist, the two pillars of the Roman Catholic Mass rite, standing as if to support the priest in his office.

The painting on the right above the baptismal font is by Puvis de Chavannes, a relative of Madame Pinot, and was donated by her to the Ursulines’ convent.
On the left, *The Entombment of Christ* is a work by Merlette, dated 1889.

Hôpital d’Aligre et ancien Thermes

With its chapel and thermal establishment dating back to the 19th century, the hospital of Les Bains, founded by François Pingré de Farivilliers in 1697, was originally located in the former Visitation convent (now the Grand Hôtel). However, it quickly became too small.

In 1841, the Marquis and Marquise d’Aligre donated 100,000 francs (at the time) and several estates to the town of Bourbon-Lancy. After his wife’s passing in 1843, the marquis became increasingly involved in the town, particularly in ensuring that all residents had access to clean and safe water. He commissioned the construction of a fountain in Place Saint-Léger. Concerned with increasing the hospital’s capacity and improving the quality of care, he decided to build a new facility.

The marquis did not live to see the laying of the foundation stone, as he passed away in 1847 after drafting several wills and codicils, bequeathing the hospice to the town, an inheritance estimated at nearly four million francs at the time. In accordance with his wishes, the chapel was built first, as he intended it to be his final resting place.

For 150 years, the hospital has undergone multiple transformations and expansions while preserving the aesthetic of its original architecture.

Public health institution
Medical and social care sector, including medicine, convalescence (48 beds), and elderly accommodation (214 beds).

Neo-Gothic chapel located within the Aligre Hospital.
17th-century altar and pulpit. Former Bourbon-Lancy thermal baths.

La glacière du Fourneau

This hamlet, located 5 km from the city center in the direction of Moulins, lies on the banks of the Loire River.

La Glacière showcases the most significant machinery of an installation that, at the beginning of the 20th century, supplied ice blocks to hotels, restaurants, bars, butchers, charcuteries, and other establishments in the surrounding area.

The compressor was powered either by a water turbine or by a Winterthur coal gas engine. Out of use since 1936, this machine was brought out of obscurity 60 years later by a team of enthusiasts and is now on static display.

The Winterthur engine and the reconstructed framework are highly representative of the technology of the early 1900s.

Chapelle Saint Denis

The construction of the Chapelle Saint-Denis stemmed from the desire of the working community of the Puzenat factory after the war, particularly the significant group of Polish workers from the Forges, to have a place of worship near their workplace. Indeed, residents of the Saint-Denis or Fourneau neighborhoods had to travel between 2 and 4 kilometers to reach the Sacré-Cœur church.

At the initiative of the company, construction work began in 1950, with the nave’s framework completed in 1952 and the plastering in 1953. Due to the financial difficulties of the company, which was absorbed by Sevita-Simca, the construction was only finalized between 1955 and 1957. This chapel was entirely built, executed, and supervised by locals from Bourbonnais. The decoration was carried out by the young apprentices from the factory’s training school, who also crafted the chandeliers for the main altar. The chandeliers were made from decommissioned ceiling lights from the factory offices.

The Chapelle Saint-Denis was inaugurated on Sunday, March 2, 1958, by Bishop Lebrun in front of a large crowd. It features two bells: one named “Marie Claudien”, donated by the Puzenat factory, and the other, “Marie Bernard”, donated by the Sept-Fons Abbey. The absolutely remarkable stained-glass windows are the work of Émile Aebischer, known as “Yoki”, a world-renowned Swiss painter, stained-glass artist, mosaicist, and sculptor.

The chapel takes its name from Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris and a martyr. A leper colony named Saint-Denis existed in the area in the 13th century, located on the outskirts of the town.

It is worth noting that the chapel is open:

• One Saturday per month from March to November, from 6 PM to 7 PM for mass.
• Palm Sunday at 9 AM.
• During Heritage Days and for occasional conferences organized by the parish.