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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Lothain, located in the eponymous village of Jura, has its origin in the 10th century, built on an crypt housing the Merovingian sarcophagus of Saint Lothain (448-518), hermit monk from Autun who came to settle in Silèze (old name of the place). Attracted by his reputation, a monastery of sixty monks develops there, followed by a second in Maximiacus. After his death, the village adopted his name and kept his relics in the crypt, which served as a primitive church. The priory, raised in the ninth century by Bernon (first abbot of Cluny), will then depend on the abbey of Baume-les-Messeurs.

The current structure, built between the 11th and 12th centuries, replaces a wooden frame with a arch in the first quarter of the 18th century (dated 1716 engraved on the bell tower). The crypt, classified as a historical monument in 1946, and the church, registered in 1927, bear witness to this architectural evolution. The bell tower, crowned with a Comtian dome, and the vault of the central ship (decorated in 1816) illustrate the rear reshaping.

The church's religious heritage, enriched by the veneration of Saint Lothain, includes major works: a high relief in alabaster of 1526 (chass of Saint-Hubert), a reliquary bust of Saint Foy, and sculptures from the 16th to 17th centuries. The crypt also houses a medieval fresco of his death, covered with historical graffiti, and the miraculous oil fountain, linked to a local legend. These elements, designed by Désiré Monnier (1841-1842), underline the cultural and spiritual importance of the site.

The legend tells us that the miraculous source, used by Lothain to treat the sick, is silent after Swedish mercenaries of Louis XIV greased their boots there during the conquest of Franche-Comté. This story, mixing history and belief, reinforces the sacred character of the place, still marked by a 19th century Way of the Cross and cast iron benches with religious frame.

The church, a communal property, thus embodies almost fifteen centuries of history, from the Merovingian hermitage to the baroque additions, through its role in Clunisian reform. Its hybrid architecture (Romanesque, Gothic, classical) and exceptional furniture make it a major witness to the Jurasian and Burgundy heritage.

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