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Origin and history

The convent of the Jacobins of Poligny came into being in 1221, when Count Palatin Othon III of Burgundy, vassal of the Holy Empire, built a collegial church dedicated to Notre Dame at the foot of its castle. This original building, with three naves and without transept, was transformed in 1271 by his sister Adelaide Ire de Bourgogne, who installed there in 1276 a congregation of Preachers Brothers (Dominican). The noble families of Poligny will erect their funeral monuments there, marking its social and religious importance.

The church, of radiant Gothic style, now retains its sober lines despite later modifications. In the 14th and 15th centuries, side chapels were added to the north, while in the 15th century, the "Tour de la Bibliothèque", a large square tower surmounted by a dome-domed bell tower, was integrated into the city walls. This bell tower, typical of local architecture, also symbolizes the defensive role of the convent in the fortified city.

The monument underwent a tragic turn in 1638, during the Ten Years War between France and Habsburg. The French troops of Duke Henry II of Orléans-Longueville burned Poligny on orders of Louis XIII, reducing the convent to ashes and depriving the church of its roof. The restorations that follow slightly alter the bedside and allow the installation of an imposing altarpiece by Nicolas Nicole, still visible today, although stripped of its original ornaments.

In the 18th century, Dominicans modernized the facade of the church in a classical style and added a span forming a podium to accommodate a Marin Carouge organ in 1721. The French Revolution marked a new upheaval: the convent became a national good, the church was transformed into a saltpetrière, and its works of art (statues, high altar, organ) were scattered or transferred to other religious buildings, such as the Collège Saint-Hippolyte or the Besançon Museum.

Between 1802 and 1927, the convent housed the sub-prefecture of the Jura, then became a grain hall in 1833 before welcoming, from 1907 to 2022, the Coopérative Viticole de Poligny, a key actor in the Jura vineyards. Today, the site houses the Hyacinthe Friant Hotel High School, while the church, classified as a historic monument in 1945, benefited from a major restoration completed in 2022 at a cost of 5 million euros, carried by the association "Les Jacobins".

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