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Origin and history

The Saint-Igny Chapel, located in Villers-le-Sec in Haute-Saône, is one of the few preserved examples of Romanesque architecture in the department. Founded at the end of the 13th century, it initially depended on the neighbouring commune of Noroy-le-Bourg, where the bishops of Besançon had had a temporal domain since the 12th century. Its origin is linked to the creation of a hospital (a place of refuge for the poor and sick), reflecting the charitable commitment of the medieval Church to epidemics and famines, such as the evil of the ardent. The chapel was dedicated to Saint Aignan, the eighth bishop of Besançon, associated with the relics of the holy healers Ferjeux and Ferréol.

A 14th century text mentions its connection to Besançon's chapter income by Archbishop Eudes de Rougemont. In 1291 the estate was granted to the cleric Nicolas, who was responsible for maintaining the furniture and agricultural instruments, on condition that he left a plough in case of departure. Today, only the chapel, listed as historical monuments in 1979, remains. Its interior is home to a 13th-century cross Christ, a 15th-century Child Virgin, and a statue of Saint Aignan of the same period.

The building, with a single nave of two spans, presents late Romanesque elements: carved capitals, triumphal arch separating the nave from the abside into a cul-de-four, and five bays illuminating the space. Eight foothills support the lava roof. An anonymous tomb, decorated with a cross in relief, recalls its funeral use. A communal property, the chapel bears witness to the religious and social history of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, between devotion, assistance to the poor and seigneurial management.

The chapel also illustrates the transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles, with soberly carved decorations and a structure adapted for hospital use. Its furniture, partially preserved, evokes medieval piety and the cult of relics, central to the Christianization of the countryside. The site, though modest, provides insight into ecclesiastical support networks before the emergence of secular hospitals.

Today, the Saint-Igny Chapel remains an unknown heritage place, but representative of small rural religious foundations. Its registration in 1979 preserved a material testimony of medieval charitable practices and religious architecture of the Haute-Saône, often overshadowed by large urban buildings.

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