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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Church of the Ladies of Battant, located at 59 rue des Granges in Besançon (Doubs), was built between 1714 and 1720 according to the plans of Dom Perrod, abbot general of the Cistercians. It belonged to a convent of young girls of the order of Citeaux, originally founded in 1226 in the Battant district, then outside the ramparts. After the destruction of their monastery in 1595 and their intramural relocation at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the nuns settled there permanently.

During the French Revolution, the church was looted and seized as a national good, putting an end to its cultural use. Ranked a historic monument in 1942, it once housed a dome decorated with a representation of the Assumption of the Virgin, inspired by the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Since 2015, it has hosted the independent bookshop Plazza, while a fiberglass bell, added in the 2000s, conceals GSM antennas.

The building illustrates the 18th century Cistercian religious architecture, marked by Tuscan influences. Its history also reflects the revolutionary upheavals and contemporary conversions of heritage, between preservation and modern usage. The accuracy of its historical location (59 rue des Granges) contrasts with an approximate GPS address (2 rue Morand), highlighting the challenges of documentation of ancient monuments.

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