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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Allant-sur-Tholon, located in Yonne, was built between 1863 and 1867 under the direction of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, an iconic 19th-century architect. It replaces an old church deemed old and too small by the municipality in 1858. Viollet-le-Duc adapted his plan to the smallness of the square by directing the choir to the west and widening the nave to the detriment of its length. The bell tower, rejected on the right side, faces the town hall, giving the building a distinctive architectural originality.

The nave, with three dogive vaulted vessels and bordered with bottoms, has an elevation on three levels: large broken arcades, geminied bays in full hang, and high windows. The non-exciting transept and the five-paned choir, flanked by quadrangular chapels, illustrate the neo-Gothic influence of Viollet-le-Duc. The composite piles and chamfered pilasters reinforce the structure, while the stone pavement of Anstrude and the broken arched bays illuminate the interior. The building, which was listed as a historical monument in 1982, bears witness to the ingenuity of its architect and its urban integration.

Construction began in 1864 after the demolition of the old church, with a first stone laid in the spring of 1865. The work, led by Inspector Lefort and awarded to the Parisian entrepreneur Pierre-Charles Sauvage, was completed on 20 June 1867. The sculptures were entrusted to Henri Marquet and Henri Geschvind, both based in Sens. The church was consecrated on October 2, 1867, marking its definitive integration into the local religious landscape.

Viollet-le-Duc opted for bold solutions, such as the porch cupolate, the slate-lined polygonal arrow, and a semi-outwork screw staircase serving the bell tower. Subsequent repairs, particularly after lightning damage in 1897 and a storm in 1964, highlight the building's vulnerability to weather. Today, the church remains a major example of neo-Gothic architecture in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, combining structural innovation and medieval heritage.

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