Jaligny-sur-Besbre - Saint-Hippolyte

Jaligny-sur-Besbre, now a town of just over 500 inhabitants, was fortified in the Middle Ages and even withstood sieges during the Hundred Years' War.

The origins of Saint-Hippolyte are thought to date back to the 11th century.

The originally five-bay church was never completed. Construction ceased after the completion of the third bay. The west façade was built at the end of the 18th century, presumably on the site of the temporary wall. The bell tower was demolished in 1794 during the French Revolution, when the church had become a "Temple of Reason". The current octagonal tower was rebuilt in the 19th century.

In the church there are some rough but interesting capitals

A "Master of the Beasts", holding two birds