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Origin and history

The church of the Nativity of Bagnot, located in the heart of the village in the Gold Coast (Burgundy-Franche-Comté), is a religious building whose oldest parts, such as the choir, date back to the 12th or 13th centuries. The nave, rebuilt in the 15th century, was redesigned in the 18th and 19th centuries, during which time the bell tower was moved and frescoes discovered in 1863. These murals, dated 1484 and attributed to the initiative of Catherine de Chauvigny, widow of the Sire de Chauvigny, cover the walls and vault of the choir over 6 meters wide and 4 meters high. They depict biblical scenes (last judgment, Annunciation, Paradise and Hell), holy figures, as well as a portrait of the donor and an allegory of the twelve months of the year.

The choir, built in partially varnished bricks and dogive vaulted, contrasts with the stone nave, covered with a false arch in a paneled cradle decorated with carved beams of animals symbolizing the Evangelists. The church also houses remarkable furniture, including a neo-Gothic high altar (18th century), funerary slabs (18th century), and statues from the 16th to 18th centuries. Ranked and listed as historical monuments between 1902 and 2001, it illustrates the architectural and artistic evolution of a Burgundy rural place of worship, marked by successive protections for its frescoes, choir and nave.

The frescoes of 1484, exceptional by their state of conservation and iconography, offer a rare testimony of late medieval mural painting in Burgundy. Their alleged sponsor, Catherine de Chauvigny, is represented, stressing the role of local patrons in the beautification of parish churches. The scenes of the Last Judgment, combining divine figures and allegories of the months, reflect both the piety and the material culture of the time. The building, still communal property, remains a significant example of the religious and artistic heritage of the Gold Coast, open to visit in its preserved village setting.

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