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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Étienne-de-Coldre, located on a rocky spur between Briod, Perrigny and Conliège (Jura, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), is one of the oldest in Franche-Comté. A first chapel was attested in 1157 by Frédéric Barberousse, but the current Romanesque building dates mainly from the 14th century. The choir was rebuilt after 1613, while the façade and its portal, typical of the seventeenth century, completed its architecture. The site, classified as a historical monument with its adjoining cemetery, bears witness to a multi-sacular occupation: protohistoric enclosure (Bronze Age/Hallstatt), Gallo-Roman fortifications, and Merovingian necropolis.

The monument has undergone several major restorations. In 1660, a reconstruction followed the fire of 1637 (War of Ten Years), which probably destroyed the bell tower. In 1837, the mason-carpenter Joseph Elie Simonin, who had already intervened in neighbouring hermitages, led a safeguard campaign after decades of abandonment. The work of 2014 concerned the structure of the nave, covered with limestone lavas, and the ravaging of the walls. The chapel, jointly owned by the three municipalities, houses sober furniture: statues of the Virgin, St Stephen, and an anonymous saint, as well as a painted wooden altar imitating marble.

The Coldre site reveals an exceptional historical stratification. The fortified enclosure, occupied from the Bronze Age, was reinvested in Gallo-Roman times, then in the High Middle Ages with the Merovingian cemetery. This continuity underscores the strategic importance of the place, overlooking the valley. The present chapel, heir to this long occupation, embodies the transition between ancient, medieval and modern times. Its isolation makes it a popular place to walk, offering a panorama of the Lédonian basin.

The architecture combines a 14th century nave and a choir from the early 17th century, with a western facade characteristic of the latter period. Inside, stripped, contrasts with the historical richness of the site. The successive restorations (17th, 19th, 21st centuries) preserved this heritage, while adapting the building to cultural and tourist needs. Historic Monument Protection (1993) covers the chapel, cemetery, and their fence wall, highlighting their joint heritage value.

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