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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of the Cordeliers of Lons-le-Saunier, founded around 1250 by the Franciscans, was established by the family of Vienna. His choir, built in the 4th quarter of the 13th century, was the only original vestige after the fire of 1536, which destroyed the convent and the nave. The reconstruction, between 1540 and 1593, preserved this medieval choir while adding 16th century northern chapels. A second fire in 1637 imposed a new vault in the seventeenth century, followed by the reconstruction of the façade in 1731, marked by a commemorative inscription.

The entrance gate, spared by the flames, remains in its original state. Inside, the stalls of the choir and organ of Callinet (transferred from Gigny Abbey in 1842) bear witness to its rich heritage. This instrument, modified by Cavaillé-Coll in 1863, was restored between 1982 and 1985 to restore its state of 1842. The crypt, sheltering the graves of the Chalon family, is inaccessible to the public.

Classified as a Historical Monument, the church became parishioner in 1806. The convent buildings, rebuilt between 1737 and 1741, were transformed in the 19th century to accommodate a seminary and then private dwellings in the 20th century. Its sober architecture, without transept and with a reduced bell tower, makes it a typical example of Franciscan churches, rare in France.

The monument was protected by the inscription of the portal in 1933 and the church as a whole in 1999. The successive modifications (storage, classical facade with superimposed orders) reflect its evolution throughout the centuries, while preserving medieval and Renaissance elements.

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