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Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Didier de Montbellet, located in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, is a building of Romanesque origin erected in the 12th century. It originally belonged to a priory dependent on the abbey of Saint-Claude in the Jura, and was accompanied by an annex chapel dedicated to Saint-Oyen. Its octagonal bell tower, described as rising 62 feet in the eighteenth century, dominates the village from a central height.

The architecture of the church reflects three distinct periods: the span under bell tower and its octagonal dome on trunks date from the 12th century, while the Gothic choir (late 13th-early 14th century) features arches of warheads and a flat bedside. The rectangular nave, built in the early 18th century (enlarged in 1702), is distinguished by its strong west-east gradient, adapted to the sloped terrain. Four 19th-century funeral slabs, including those of Baron Georges-Marie de Montbellet and Mayor Benoît Lafontaine, adorn the porch.

The church suffered damage due to lightning, requiring major work in 1962-1963 (outside and inside), followed by a complete renovation in the early 2000s. Today, it remains an active Catholic place of worship, attached to the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Coteaux-en-Mâconnais (seat in Lugny) in the diocese of Autun. Its history thus combines medieval heritage, architectural transformations and contemporary community life.

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