Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Créancey, classified as a Historic Monument, is located at the northern end of the village, framed by the cemetery to the north and an esplanade to the south. Its anterior massif, by medium apparatus, includes a square vestibule surmounted by a bell tower, flanked by a staircase leading to the rostrum and a boiler room. The three-span nave, opened on the forechoir by a broken arcade, presents a door walled on its south wall. The forearm, whose pillars have been detailed, is bordered by two asymmetrical chapels: the southern chapel, with a hagioscope, and the northern chapel, larger, communicating with the choir through a sloping door and housing a murated door decorated with a braid.

The choir, illuminated by broken arch windows and a bay with two lancettes, houses a sandstone sink covered with a trilobed arch, typical of the thirteenth century. The exterior walls are crowned with cornices sculpted with heads. The ensemble is vaulted with warheads, resting on caps in the chapels and corners of the choir. The vault of the right chapel, with multiple veins, and the style of the caps attest to a construction in the 16th century. The inscriptions SEBASTIEN LEFOL / 1613 and J. RAVENEAV 1624, engraved on a foothill, evoke restoration campaigns.

The archives reveal major works: renovation of the ceiling of the nave in lambris (1767), repair of the choir (1772), and reconstruction of the walls of the nave (1787-1788) after the expertise of architects Sister and Machureau. In the 19th century, the architect Grosley led the restoration of the foothills, vaults and walls of the bell tower (1862-1863), while in 1864 the muré bay of the bedside was reopened. In 1870, Hannaire proposed an estimate for the nave, probably executed, resulting in the demolition of the Bize chapel and the awning. Finally, in 1874, the original bell tower was replaced by a facade bell tower designed by the architect Dijonnais Caillot.

The building illustrates a marked architectural evolution, from primitive Gothic (11th century) to Renaissance additions (16th century), to modern restorations. The elements protected since 1925 (choir and lateral chapels) bear witness to this historical richness, while the modifications of the 18th and 19th centuries reflect the adaptations to the liturgical and structural needs of each era.

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