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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Gourdon, located in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, is a Romanesque building whose origins date back to the 12th century. Built on a hillside, it replaces a parish church attested as early as 1104, which was erected on the site of a Benedictine priory probably founded in the sixth century. Its history thus blends medieval heritage and subsequent transformations, such as the reconstruction of the bell tower in 1889 after its collapse.

Ranked under the title of Historical Monuments since 1900, this church is distinguished by its 70 carved capitals, representing various motifs (foils, animals, human figures), and by its murals rediscovered in 1940 under a coating. These frescoes, restored in the 1980s by Hisao Takahashi, testify to the artistic richness of the place. The exterior, sober and typically Romanesque, also reveals carved details like a mermaid on the southern transept or modillons decorated under the cornices.

Between 1980 and 1990, the church benefited from three major restoration campaigns, supervised by Patrick Arnould, regional curator of historic monuments. This work, at a total cost of 2,370,000 francs, covered the roofs in lava, the plasters of the choir, and the presentation of the paintings. Today, the building remains an active Catholic place of worship, attached to the diocese of Autun and the parish of Saint-Luc-en-Pays-Montcellien.

Its bell tower, the only notable modification of the original structure, has been surmounted by a platform and turret since 1889. The church, owned by the commune of Gourdon, thus illustrates the sustainability of religious buildings in the rural Burgundy landscape, between artistic heritage and contemporary parish life.

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