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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Roch d'Urtière is a small Catholic religious building built in the early seventeenth century, more precisely in 1636, as indicated by the lintel of its door. It was erected by Guillaume and Étienne Borne in tribute to their father, Pierre Borne, who died in 1635 and buried there. Located on the site of an ancient graveyard of pestifers, known as the cemetery of the bosses, it symbolizes the memory of the plague victims. Its modest, square-plan architecture and stone enclosure reflect its funerary and commemorative character.

In 1687, a monumental twisted cross, typical of the art of the Counter-Reform, was erected opposite the chapel. This type of cross, often associated with the struggle against Protestantism, reinforces the religious and historical character of the site. In the 19th century, a bell tower was added, equipped with an imperial dome covered with tavaillons (wood tiles), a traditional Comtoise technique to protect the building from the weather.

The chapel houses the tomb of Pierre Borne, marked by a carved tombstone bearing the inscription: "CI GIT PIERRE BORNE DURTIR DECEDE LA AN 1635 GOD HAS HIS AME". Inside, the altar, supported by twisted columns, supports a painting depicting Saint Anne and Saint Roch, patron saint of the village. The ensemble — chapel, enclosure and cross — was inscribed in historical monuments on 6 April 1994, recognizing its heritage value.

Isolated away from the hamlet of Urtière (8 inhabitants in 2011), the chapel once depended on the parish of Maiche, in the diocese of Besançon. Its location in a wooded clearing, far from the houses, recalls its funeral origin and its role as a place of recollection. Today, owned by the commune, it bears witness to both local history, past epidemics and the piety of the bourgeois families of Franche-Comté.

Architecturally, the chapel is distinguished by its simplicity and its typical elements of the region: stone walls, imperial roof, and sober decors. The bell tower-porch, added later, illustrates the evolution of the site, while the cross of 1687 emphasizes its anchoring in the turbulent religious context of the time. The ensemble forms a remarkable rural heritage, both modest and full of history.

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