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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Volnay Cemetery houses a chapel built in the 2nd quarter of the 16th century, as evidenced by the inscription in Gothic letters above the entrance. The building, erected in a stone-cut bell tower with a wall bell tower, has a dogive arches resting on ground caps decorated with ECU. Its openings — a broken arched window at the bedside, another in the middle of the south, and two rectangular windows on the façade — reflect a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. In 1744, the original doorway, in a basket handle, was replaced by two windows surrounding a door, as indicated by the date engraved on the lintel.

The chapel, supported by six chaperone foothills, was incorporated into the new cemetery in 1861 after a decision by the municipal council. The architect Felix Goin's estimate, approved in June 1861, sealed this transformation. The building, a communal property, was inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 3 November 1925, recognizing its heritage value. Its wall washbasin, framed by a pyramidal leave brace, and gables pierced with rectangular bays complete its remarkable architectural features.

The Gothic inscription specifies that the chapel was financed by the inhabitants of Volnay in 1540, highlighting its community anchor. The site, although located with poor accuracy (level 5/10), remains a rare testimony of the rural religious architecture of the Renaissance in Burgundy. Its present state and use (cimetery) reflect a continuity between sacred and memorial, typical of the small towns of the region.

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