Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Pestiferous Cemetery, located in Bouliney, Haute-Saône, is a 17th-century vestige directly linked to the last major plague epidemic that struck the region during the Ten Years War. Today, it consists of two sandstone funerary slabs dating from 1637, framing a stone cross facing east. These elements, engraved with an epitaph, bear witness to the collective memory of this health crisis.

The ensemble was listed as historic monuments in 2009, recognizing its heritage value. The site, owned by the commune of Bouligney, is located in the department of Haute-Saône, in the region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Its current, albeit reduced, configuration provides an overview of funeral and commemorative practices in times of epidemic.

The location of the cemetery, noted as "a priori satisfactory" (level 6/10), is specified by its administrative address in the Merimée database: 70800 Bouliney. The Insee code of the municipality (70083) confirms its connection to the territory of Vesoul, in Franche-Comté. No information is available on its current accessibility or visitation.

This monument recalls a dark episode of local history, where the plague, associated with the conflicts of the Ten Years' War (1634-1644), decimated part of the population. Funeral slabs, with their engraved date, serve as a tangible marker of this period, while illustrating the resilience of communities to health disasters.

The sources available (Wikipedia, Monumentum) underline its historical importance, but do not mention any sponsors or specific characters related to its creation. The inscription to historical monuments aims to preserve this unique testimony, in a department where the material traces of medieval and modern epidemics are rare.

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