Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption of Arinthod, located in the Jura department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, presents a Romanesque nave of the 12th century, profoundly redesigned over the centuries. Composed of five spans and arched in a broken cradle, it was originally designed without windows. It was only in 1864 that bays were pierced to illuminate the space, while the side chapels, transformed into the lower side in 1959 and 1961, illustrated the modern adaptations of the building.

The choir, rebuilt at the beginning of the eighteenth century, is distinguished by its four large windows with coloured stained windows and houses a Christ in wooden cross, carved by Rosset de Saint-Claude, renowned artist of the region. The woodwork and stalls of the choir, also of the eighteenth century, complete this baroque ensemble. The bell tower-porch, erected between 1480 and 1500, adorned with blazes representing the symbols of the four evangelists, bears witness to the transition between flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance.

Among the remarkable elements, a Pietà in polychrome stone of the late 15th century, a privileged altar waiting for restoration, and a statue of the Assumption of the 16th century Virgin, formerly preserved in the Castral chapel, highlight the heritage richness of the place. The 18th century carved wooden pulpit, decorated with representations of the Doctors of the Church and the Apostles, as well as of a Moses carrying the Tables of the Law, completes to make this church a major witness of local sacred art.

Classified as a historical monument in 1991, the church belongs to the municipality of Arinthod. Its hybrid architecture, combining medieval heritage and classical additions, reflects the liturgical and artistic evolutions of the region, while maintaining valuable works of art, such as the statue of Rosset or the anonymous Pietà.

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