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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Christophe church of Puley, today in ruins, was built between 1110 and 1150 in a pure Romanesque style, without rearrangement. It was the heart of a priory founded before 1211, quickly attached to the Benedictine priory of Lancharre (Chapaize), on which he depended. The nuns of Puley, initially free canonesses, then adopted the Benedictine rule, integrating their community with that of Lancharre.

The monument suffered a major collapse in 1877 with the fall of its bell tower. In a state of ruins in the 1970s, it was classified as a Historical Monument on January 30, 1973. A restoration campaign, carried out from 1969 to 1984 by the local safeguard association (established in 1970) and the Rempart yards, allowed the remains to be stabilized. Every summer, volunteer projects continue to contribute to its preservation.

Architecturally, the church follows a classic Romanesque plan: a nave of three spans with low sides, a transept not prominent, and a choir flanked by two straight spans leading to a central apse framed by absidioles. Its dimensions (21.30 m long, 11.80 m wide, 25 m initial height) bear witness to its past importance. The property, belonging to the commune, remains an emblematic site of Burgundy religious heritage.

Historical sources mention his connection to the abbey of Lancharre, studied in 1850 by Henri Batault. Articles in Images de Saône-et-Loire (1970-2023) document rescue efforts, including those of the priory association, still active today. The site, referenced in the Mérimée and Clochers de France bases, illustrates the vitality of local initiatives for the preservation of the medieval heritage.

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