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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Georges d'Ornans, located on Rue Saint-Georges in Ornans (Doubs), is the only vestige of the medieval castle of which it was the castral chapel. Its current construction dates from the 1st quarter of the 16th century (circa 1500), as evidenced by the date engraved on the lintel of its side door. It succeeds at least two previous buildings: a first chapel founded in 1289 by Othon IV of Burgundy, destroyed in 1300 during a revolt of the Comtian barons, then rebuilt around 1369. The present chapel, of late Gothic style, was spared in 1674 when the troops of Louis XIV destroyed the castle.

The history of the chapel is closely linked to regional conflicts. Destroyed a first time in 1300 after the sale of the castle by Othon IV to the Count of Burgundy, it was rebuilt in 1369 (date inscribed on a key vault). In 1477, Louis XI's troops razed it again, before its reconstruction around 1500. His definitive salvation came in 1674, when the Marshal of Luxembourg, on the order of Louis XIV, razed the castle but preserved the chapel. It was finally listed as a historical monument in 1968 and restored in 2018 thanks to the Heritage Foundation.

Architecturally, the chapel is distinguished by its arches with dogive crosses, its lava roof, and its three ogival windows. With an area of about 40 m2, it is built on the edge of the rocky spur supporting the castle, overlooking the Loue Valley. Its bell tower overlooks the entrance, and its interior, illuminated by Gothic bays, bears witness to its religious role in the parish of Ornans, attached to the diocese of Besançon. The chapel, owned by the commune, has benefited from a recent restoration rewarded by the Heritage Rubans 2019 in Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

Ornans Castle, on which it depended, was a strategic fortress built on a rocky spur, defended by limestone cliffs and a courtine flanked by towers. Founded in the 13th century, it was successively destroyed and rebuilt during the conflicts between the Counts of Burgundy, the Comtian Barons, and the kings of France. Charles the Temerary strengthened his defenses there in 1475 before his partial destruction. The chapel, the only surviving one, today symbolizes this turbulent past.

The chapel Saint-Georges illustrates the successive reconstructions linked to medieval and classical wars in Franche-Comté. Its registration in 1968 and its recent restoration underline its heritage importance, both for its Gothic architecture and for its history linked to the powers of the Comtian and the Royal. It remains a place of memory for the parish of the Haute Vallée de la Loue, integrated into the diocese of Besançon.

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