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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Maurice, located in Jougne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is the last vestige of a Benedictine priory founded between the 4th quarter of the 11th century and the 1st quarter of the 12th century. This priory served as a relay on the monastic route linking the abbeys of Saint-Bénigne de Dijon, Saint-Marcel de Chalon and Saint-Maurice d'Agaune (Valais, Switzerland). Built on the side of the hillside, the chapel was initially equipped with a three-pane apse, typical of Comtoese Romanesque architecture, but it disappeared in the 16th century due to landslides. In the 19th century, massive foothills were added to stabilize the building, giving it its current silhouette.

Inside, the unique four-span nave, one raised for the choir, houses capitals carved with plant motifs and characters. The Romanesque crypt, accessible only by historical sources, served as a place of worship for Saint Maurice, whose relics are now preserved in the parish church of Jougne. This crypt, of modest size, was also a place of pilgrimage and support for the choir, with three vaulted spans of ridges and lateral apsidioles.

The priory of Jougne, mentioned in a 1199 text, played a key role as a stop for monks crossing the Jura through the col de Jougne, between Valais and Burgundy. Local trade was limited to agricultural products and salt from Salins salt. The chapel, classified as a historic monument on 30 April 1930, bears witness to the influence of Benedictine abbeys in the region. Its adjacent cemetery, enlarged in 1866, preserves remarkable graves, such as those of an ecclesiastical or a freemason.

Architecturally, the chapel is distinguished by its gate in the middle of the arch without tympanum and its vault in a broken cradle, rare in Franche-Comté outside Montbenoît Abbey. The capitals, especially those of the first span of the choir, illustrate a mixture of vegetal decorations and stylized human figures, reflecting local Romanesque art. Despite the changes (closure of the southern gable, addition of foothills), the building remains an emblematic example of the medieval religious heritage of the region.

Its history is also marked by recurring landslides, resulting in the loss of the original abside and structural reinforcements in the 19th century. Today owned by the commune, the chapel, surrounded by its 19th century cemetery, constitutes a place of memory linked to the cult of Saint Maurice and the transjurassian monastic history.

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