Construction of the cross XVe siècle (≈ 1550)
Erection by Bernard Pot, Commander of Malta.
3 novembre 1997
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 3 novembre 1997 (≈ 1997)
Official protection of the monument.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The cross (Box BE 8): inscription by order of 3 November 1997
Key figures
Bernard Pot - Commander of the Commanderie de Bellecroix
Had the cross erected.
Philippe Pot - Brother of Bernard Pot, Sénéchal
Delivered from the Turks, inspiration from the cross.
Origin and history
La Croix du XVe siècle du château de Bellecroix is a cross of road located in Chagny, in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is located in the park of the castle of Bellecroix, a former commandery of the order of Malta. This monument, erected in limestone, includes a square base surmounted by an octagonal barrel and a carved cross representing Christ in round-bosse on one side, and the Virgin with Child on the other.
According to the sources, this cross was raised by Bernard Pot, commander of the commandery and brother of the senechal of the Dukes of Burgundy, in homage to the Virgin for the deliverance of his brother Philippe, prisoner of the Turks. It has never been moved since its erection in the 15th century. The cross was listed as historic monuments on November 3, 1997, recognizing its heritage value.
The castle of Bellecroix, where the cross stands, was a commandery of the order of Malta, a religious and military order influential in the Middle Ages. This type of monument reflects the importance of religious symbols and commanderies in the social and spiritual life of medieval Burgundy. The cross, by its location and iconography, bears witness to devotional practices and the links between the Burgundy nobility and religious orders at that time.
