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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Benoît de Perrecy-les-Forges, founded in the 9th century by Count Eccard II (Lord of Perrecy, Mâcon, Chalon and Autun), initially depended on the abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire. This count, without heir, offered the site in 876 to create a monastery of retreat against the Viking invasions, legitimizing his possession contested by the archbishopric of Bourges. The Benedictines built a first building, replaced between 1020 and 1030 by the present church, of which the south nave, the cross of the transept, and the choir remain.

The building, typical of Romanesque architecture, was partially renovated in the 12th century (pre-nave and last span). Its tower (18 m high), mounted on trunks, is a masterpiece of conservation. In the 11th century, modifications included the vaulting of the north crusillon and the addition of foothills. In the 15th century, the choir was rebuilt in Gothic style, with lancette berries, while the Roman cloister was replaced by a vaulted cloister of warheads, of which only the asses-de-lampe persist.

Ranked as a historical monument in 1862, the church retained rare elements such as grooved bay capitals of the cross and ground imposts. The 1946 stained glass window dedicated to Saint Benedict was commissioned by the priest Laborier (1941-1949). Today, the building remains an active Catholic place of worship, attached to the parish of Montceau-les-Mines, bearing witness to ten centuries of religious and architectural history.

The priory, which was abolished by royal patent in 1776, illustrated the links between power and monastic network in the Middle Ages. The small square stone masonry, characteristic of the eleventh century, and the absence of carved decoration (planned for paintings) underline its primitive austerity. The successive reparations reflect its adaptation to liturgical and defensive needs, as the fortified advance nave of the twelfth century, surmounted by a belfry.

The church also embodies the medieval tensions between lay lords and the Church: the gift of Eccard II aimed to calm a conflict with the archbishopric of Bourges, while providing spiritual and material protection to the region. Its original plan, almost intact, makes it a unique testimony of Burgundy Romanesque art, between clunisian influence and local innovations.

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