Saint-Pierre Collegiate Church is a former collegiate church located in the town of Chauvigny. The church’s origins are unclear, but a chapter of ten canons is recorded in the early 11th century. The current Romanesque building was constructed in the 12th century, starting with the choir, and the bell tower was added in the early 13th century. Damaged during the Wars of Religion and the Fronde, and neglected during the Revolution, the church underwent several restorations in the 19th century. It was listed as a historical monument in 1846 and reopened for worship in 1804.
The church is known for its richly decorated chevet, visible from Rue Saint-Pierre. It features sculpted arcades, carved columns, and corbelled modillions depicting animals and faces. A Romanesque alphabet is carved above a window, likely used in liturgical dedications. The bell tower, square and three-tiered, rises above the crossing.
The church follows a classic three-aisled Romanesque layout with a high central nave and barrel vaults. The nave dates from the late 12th century and is simple in decor, with sculpted capitals evolving in style from Romanesque to Gothic.
The transept, from the early 12th century, has a central dome on squinches and richly carved capitals, including mythological creatures and a siren. The choir has a clover-shaped layout with an ambulatory and three radiating chapels—rare in the region. Sculpted capitals show biblical scenes, animals, and demons, some with explanatory inscriptions.
The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.