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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Criat de Verchizeuil, located in the hamlet of Verzé in Saône-et-Loire, is a 12th century Romanesque building, although some sources evoke an origin in the 11th century. It was built by the monks of Cluny Abbey on a Celtic site where pagan rituals were practiced, especially around a "miraculous spring". Originally dedicated to St.Martin, it was then placed under the name of St.Christ, then St.Criat, an evolution linked to local popular traditions.

The chapel has undergone many changes over the centuries, including a "turnover" of its orientation, passing from east to west. In 1721, Bishop Cassagnet of Tilladet, bishop of Mâcon, observed his state of degradation during a pastoral visit. He described an isolated building, about 14 metres long by 8 metres wide, with a shell-shaped sanctuary. Despite its inscription in the historical monuments in 1927, the chapel continued to deteriorate, requiring one-off interventions.

In the 20th century, restoration efforts were undertaken, notably through voluntary construction projects in the 1990s, supported by public financiers such as the DRAC de Bourgogne. However, work was interrupted in 2001, and in 2012, a local association had to tarnish the building to preserve it. In 2020, the chapel was acquired by the municipality of Verzé for 12,000 euros. His story is also marked by an ancient pilgrimage where mothers came to collect altar powder to treat their sick children, a practice that contributed to the evolution of his term.

The oral tradition, reported by Émile Violet, describes a silent ritual where parents had to go fasting to the chapel, scratch the stone from the altar to recover a white powder, then mix it with the milk of the crying child. This ritual, coupled with the novena and an offering to the farmer owner of the place, illustrates the symbolic importance of this place in local popular beliefs. The chapel, now protected, remains a testimony of Romanesque art and medieval religious practices in Burgundy.

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