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Origin and history

Remoray's presbytery, built in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century (circa 1835) in Haut-Doubs, was originally a traditional Comtoise farm transformed to house the parish priest of the village. It illustrates the civil and religious architecture of Jurassian villages, where public buildings (mayory, church, presbytery) structured the city centre. Its architect, Pompey, respected local construction practices, while integrating functional elements such as a catechism room or a kitchen typical of the comtoise farms.

The presbytery houses an exceptional panoramic wallpaper of the years 1810-1830, representing the history of Joseph (son of Jacob) in eight paintings. Although its manufacturer remains unidentified (sometimes attributed without proof to the Dufour factory), this rare decor combines biblical references, revolutionary anachronisms, and motifs inspired by the Bonaparte Egyptian campaign. Probably offered by a prince of the house of Arenberg (local land family), it bears witness to the cultural exchanges between elites and rural clergy in the 19th century.

Abandoned and then saved by Bernard and Élisabeth Renaud (1999-2015), the presbytery became the Maison du Patrimoine, an ecomuseum restoring the life of Haut-Doubs in the 19th century. Visitors discover furnished interiors (bedrooms, kitchen, classroom), everyday objects, and a parish garden (potager, medicinal plants), reflecting the multifunctional role of priest Solomon — both priest, doctor, and veterinarian. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments since 2001 (with partial ranking in 2002), today values the rural Jura heritage.

The nearby church, Sainte-Anne, completes this religious and community ensemble. The presbytery, with its four floors and its thematic rooms (agronomy, pharmacopoeia, exhibitions), offers a unique testimony of popular traditions, local craftsmanship, and the adaptation of agricultural buildings to collective living places. Its garden, walled and organized into utility spaces (botanical, vegetable), recalls the self-sufficiency of mountain villages.

The restoration of the wallpaper and the creation of the ecomuseum are part of a dynamic of preserving the intangible heritage of the Doubs. The site highlights missing know-how (such as narrative wallpapers) and local figures, like the priest Solomon, embodying the versatility of rural actors. Today the communal property, the presbytery remains a place of transmission between historical memory and cultural tourism.

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