Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Étienne church of Bar-le-Duc, originally collegiate Saint-Pierre, was built between 1315 and 1630 in a flamboyant Gothic style, with renaissant influences. Founded by Count Edward I of Bar, it replaces a 13th century chapel. The work, slowed down by the Hundred Years' War and local conflicts, resumed thanks to the intervention of the pope, duke René I of Anjou, and the canons. The façade, completed in the 16th century, combines Gothic motifs and reborn elements such as the gallery or the arch in basket handle.

In 1782 the college merged with Saint-Maxe, another collegiate church in the city, before being renamed Saint-Étienne Church after the Revolution. Damaged during this period (destruction of statues, stained glass windows, coats of arms), it was restored in the 19th century, with modifications such as the removal of the haze from the portal in 1809. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, it now houses major works, including the Transi de René de Chalon (1545) and Christ on the Cross by Ligier Richier, as well as 19th and 16th century stained glass windows.

The church, of basilical plan without marked transept, is a church-hall where nave and collateral have the same height, offering a great brightness. Its five-sided choir and side chapels (such as that of Stainville, 16th century) illustrate the transition between Gothic and Renaissance. The crypt, studied in 2016, reveals vestiges of the ancient chapel of Saint Nicholas. Among its treasures, the statue Notre-Dame du Guet (14th century), linked to a legend of protection of the city, was crowned in 1920 after a wish during the First World War.

The furniture includes a 19th century organ, classified in 1971 and 2000, whose buffet dates from the 18th century. The stained glass windows, such as The Procession of the Relics of St.Maxe (1880) or The Lapidation of St.Étienne (18th century), bear witness to local and religious history. The church also preserves classified statues, such as Saint Roch and Saint Adrien (John Crocq, 15th-XVIth centuries), and an anonymous 17th-century painting depicting La Crucifixion with the Dukes of Bar castle in the background.

A symbol of Barisian heritage, the Saint-Étienne church combines Gothic architecture, Renaissance sculptures and medieval legends. Its classification in 1889 and its 52 protected objects make it a must-see place in the Great East, marked by revolutionary upheavals and 19th-century restorations.

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