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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativity de Malaysia church is a Romanesque building located in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Cited in 1095 under the name ecclesia de Maleto, she was a dean of Cluny Abbey. Its construction took place in three phases: the eastern part (chevet and transept) at the end of the 11th century, the western nave in the 12th century, and the upper part of the bell tower at an unspecified later time.

The church is distinguished by its Romanesque bedside decorated with archatures, flanked by two apsidioles and extended by a square sacristy. The bell tower, overtaking the cross of the transept, has two contrasting registers: solitary curved bays and geminied bays separated by columns. The arms of the transept and the span of the chorus are highlighted by enhanced gables. Ranked a historic monument since June 16, 1931, it remains an active Catholic place of worship, attached to the diocese of Autun.

Architecturally, the church illustrates clunisian influence, with a characteristic Romanesque structure. Its history is linked to Cluny Abbey, the major spiritual and political centre of the Middle Ages. Today, it belongs to the commune of Malay and is integrated into the parish of Saint-Augustin in Nord-Clunisois. Its protection as a historical monument underscores its historic importance and its remarkable state of conservation.

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