Church à Gurgy-le-Château en Côte-d'or

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Origin and history

The church of the Nativity of Notre Dame, located in Gurgy-le-Château in Côte-d-Or, is an ancient Templar chapel built in the early thirteenth century. It was part of a stronghold built on a rocky spur, possession of the bishops of Langres since 1107. Its architecture reflects this dual religious and defensive vocation, with an asymmetric nave of 28 meters, arches in warheads and 14 foothills. The bell tower, 42 meters high, is one of the most remarkable of the Châtillonnais, with its three floors of twined bays.

The sanctuary, illuminated by three lancet bays and a four-feston rose, preserves traces of 13th-century wall paintings under its coating. The entrance door, redone in 1754, contrasted with the medieval style of the building, while a 13th-century door, now walled, once allowed direct access to the castle for the Lord Bishop. The lava roof was restored in 1972, and major repairs were made between 1755 and 1764 by the Parisian architect Claude Louis d'Aviler.

During the Revolution, part of the furniture, including the pulpit and statues, was destroyed. However, there is still an 18th-century high altar topped by a corinthian-column baldachin, a golden carved wooden tabernacle, and anonymous tombstones decorated with crosses and swords. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1911, now belongs to the commune. Its paved ground and its two mutilated stone statues still bear witness to its rich medieval and templar past.

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