Église Saint-Genès de Thiers, Romanesque church in Thiers, France.

Église Saint-Genès de Thiers is a Romanesque church with thick stone walls and rounded arches in the medieval quarter of the town. The building features a large central dome and sits near other historical structures such as the Ancien hôtel du Charriol.

Avitius, bishop of Clermont, had a church raised on this spot in 575, outside any settlement; it was destroyed during the 9th-century Saracen invasion. Count Robert I of Auvergne re-established the upper-town church and founded the chapter of Saint-Genès in 1016. The Romanesque building dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, was sacked by Huguenots in January 1568, and had its western facade rebuilt between 1860 and 1863.

The church takes its name from Saint Genès, a martyr beheaded by a Roman soldier on a rock near the Creux de l'enfer below the present cemetery of Saint-Jean. In the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, an altar is dedicated to Saint Eligius, patron of metalworkers, with a retable made by Gilles Bouchot in 1686 and given by the cutlers' guild. A coat of arms in the Chapel of the Dead marks the suzerainty of the House of Bourbon.

The church stands in the medieval centre of Thiers, backed against the site of the former castle of the lords of Thiers, now occupied by the tribunal and the Place du Palais. Its tower and upper parts are visible from the lower town and the Limagne plain. The south side preserves the best Romanesque features, while the north entrance, rebuilt in Volvic stone in the 19th century, is reached by stone steps. The church is open to the public all year and guided tours are offered by the tourist office.

In 1863, workers discovered remains of medieval mosaic flooring inside the church. This find added significantly to understanding the building's history and how the interior was originally arranged.