Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption of Lessard-en-Bresse found its origins between the 5th and 6th centuries, when the monks of Saint-Marcel built there a first place of worship. Over the centuries, it changed its name several times (Saint-Georges in 1633, Notre-Dame in 1710) and suffered major degradation, especially in the 18th century, where its old age led to the prohibition of worship in 1776. The reconstruction plans, drawn up as early as 1778, were not implemented until 1823, after decades of delays linked to revolutionary upheavals and financial constraints.

The reconstruction of the church, initiated in 1823 under the direction of architect Zolla, used the materials recovered from the old church and the chapel of Tronchy. The bell tower, erected that same year, collapsed in 1840 under the influence of weather, requiring partial reconstruction and the addition of foothills in 1844. The building then became the symbol of the united parish of Lessard-Tronchy, sheltering the bells of the two villages. Its history reflects local tensions, such as conflicts with the parish priest of Saint-Germain-du-Plain, accused of having pushed it to be abolished in 1810.

In the 19th century, the church was equipped with emblematic elements: a first clock in 1869, financed by the municipality, and a second in 1894, offered by the Gaudillat-Guitaud spouses for their wedding anniversary. In 1904, a statue of Saint Michel was installed on the façade, while in 1950, a Marian cave was inaugurated near the village, commemorating the saving of the communes during the Second World War. Successive repairs (1987-1988) allowed this building to be preserved, still active as a place of Catholic worship.

The architecture of the church, sober and functional, consists of a unique nave extended by a semicircular choir, preceded by a massive bell tower. Inside, a Christ on the cross of the eighteenth century bears witness to the preserved movable heritage. Its history, marked by reconstructions and adaptations, illustrates the resilience of Bresse's rural communities to political, climatic and economic hazards.

The archives also reveal the church's central role in local civic life: the place of votes during the Revolution (1790), oaths such as that of the parish priest Constantine in 1791, or community gatherings. The conflicts for its reconstruction, the donations of the inhabitants (such as that of the Gaudillat-Guitaud), and the decision-making processes (municipal deliberations, state relief) underline its anchoring in the social and religious life of Lessard-en-Bresse and Tronchy.

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