Stage town for the first time
Town in the Puy-de-Dôme département (63)
Population : 2,600 (Nazadais, Nazadaises), 69,000 in the Riom Limagne et Volcans urban community
Personalities : Claude Redon (deputy of the Tiers État in 1789), Maurice Persat (soldier and writer)
Specialities : Auvergne specialities (potée, truffade, pounti). Mathieu chocolates in Riom
Sport : RC Ennezat (rugby)
Culture : Ennezat brass band. Graines de son festival / Céréales en fête festival / Impulsions festival / Foire de la Saint-Michel / Comice agricole and spring fair / cattle competition
Economy : agriculture (sugar beet), methanisation unit (biogas production). Shops (Intermarché). Tourism
Labels : Land of Art and History / Terra Volcana Tourism Office / Villes et Villages Étoilés 3 stars
Website : www.ennezat.fr / www.terravolcana.com / www.memoire-et-patrimoine-ennezat.org / www.rlv.eu / www.puy-de-dome.fr / www.auvergnerhonealpes.fr
ENNEZAT AND CYCLING
A small community of 2,500 inhabitants located around twenty kilometres from Clermont-Ferrand, Ennezat and its inhabitants have become accustomed to the Tour de France, which has made its home in Puy de Dôme in recent years. Over the last eight years, the Riom Limagne Volcans Community of Communes has hosted five major events, including Paris-Nice in 2013 and 2016 in Châtel-Guyon, the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019 in Riom and in 2023 in Chambon-sur-Lac, and the Tour de France, with a stage start in Châtel-Guyon in 2020. It was undoubtedly in Riom, less than 10km from Ennezat, that cycling fans had a front row seat to Sam Bennett's sprint victory in the Dauphiné. The best-known riders from the Clermont-Ferrand area are the late Raphaël Geminiani and Rémi Cavagna. But we should also mention Alfred Faure, born in Gerzat, around ten kilometres from Ennezat, who took part in the Tour de France five times between 1904 and 1911, winning a controversial stage (the first four had been disqualified) during the second edition of the race.
SIGHTS
Collegiate church of Saint-Victor and Sainte-Couronne
Construction: 11th and 13th centuries
Style: Romanesque and Gothic
History and characteristics: the church of Saint-Victor and Sainte-Couronne was built thanks to donations from Henry II of England and Philip Augustus. Originally Romanesque, it underwent a Gothic transformation in the 13th century, but only on the choir and nave. Today, the building features a narthex and a nave with four bays, as well as a transept with a square topped by a central dome. Inside, you can admire a lectern with two carved wooden eagles facing each other, a 17th-century polychrome wooden statue of Saint Blaise, beautiful carved choir stalls and murals depicting the Last Judgement and the three dead and three alive
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1840
Méthélec methanisation unit
Located on the Le Petit-Rollet site, the Méthélec methanisation unit produces biogas by treating livestock effluent and waste from local food processing industries. This biogas is then sent to a cogeneration plant that simultaneously produces 3,000 kW of electricity and heat. The site's buildings support eight photovoltaic power plants with a total output of 2,149 kW connected to the ERDF grid. In total, the park will produce 15,000 MWh of electricity a year, equivalent to the consumption of 6,000 homes
The site can be visited on request
methelec.com
Le “champ des Juifs" (Jews Field) necropolis
Founded: 1263
Characteristics: in 1992, a housing development project necessitated an archaeological operation that uncovered this cemetery and identified that a Jewish community of 200 people lived in the village for around 250 years between the 12th and 14th centuries. The presence of a Jewish community in Ennezat has been known since 1263. The last mention of this presence dates from 1394, which corresponds to the edict expelling the Jews from France. Several grave markers were still visible in the 17th century. The total number of graves can be estimated at 700. The cemetery appears to be perfectly orderly, with no clustering of graves having been noted. Burials were made in pits dug into the substratum, with regular, vertical walls, reflecting the great care taken with the funerary task. The presence of large pitted structures was recognised, probably corresponding to buildings linked to the funerary function of the site. Located on private property, it is not open to the public
Listed as: Historical Monument in 2009
TO EAT
Grignotins d'Auvergne
A local institution, the Mathieu chocolate factory in Riom, winner of a gold medal from the French Confederation of Pastry, offers gourmets a host of unique specialities including Grignotins d'Auvergne, a speciality with meringue, almonds and hazelnuts delicately caramelised
