Notre-Dame du Port is a Romanesque basilica in the old town of Clermont-Ferrand, a few minutes' walk from the cathedral, and one of the most important Romanesque monuments in France. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 as part of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes, which pass through the Auvergne on the Via Podiensis. The church dates from the 11th and 12th centuries and is built in the distinctive Auvergnat Romanesque style: stocky, dark, with a monumental quality quite different from the more delicate Norman and Loire Valley churches.
The interior is notable above all for its carved capitals in the choir and ambulatory — dense, expressive sculptural programmes depicting biblical scenes, fantastical animals, and geometric patterns. The crypt beneath the choir is one of the oldest parts of the building and holds an important Black Madonna statue. The church is smaller and less visited than the cathedral but architecturally at least as interesting.