Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Étienne in Port-sur-Saône replaces a clunisian priory founded in 1020, attached to the Jesuits in Vesoul in 1658. In the 18th century, the old church, considered old and small, threatened to collapse. In 1749, a canon of Vesoul confirmed his critical state, and temporary repairs were undertaken. Despite these works, the nave, supported, became unusable, forcing the offices to stand in an adjoining chapel. The population growth of Port-sur-Saône makes a lasting solution indispensable.

Between 1772 and 1775, the local community, supported by the subdelegate of Vesoul, Gabriel Miroudot de Saint-Ferjeux, opted for a total reconstruction rather than repairs. The original site is abandoned to a central location in the village, requiring the acquisition and demolition of houses. A first project of engineer Jean-Baptiste Thiery, planned for 2,120 people, is dismissed. Funding was secured in 1776 thanks to the sale of part of the communal woods, enabling the project to be relaunched under the direction of architect Anatole Amoudru, mandated by the Master of Waters and Forests.

The works, awarded in 1781 to the entrepreneur Jean Deschamp, officially began with the laying of the first stone on 8 July 1782. Delays, especially related to the development of the Paris-Bâle Royal Road and to conflicts with Deschamp, led to its replacement by the architect Pambet in 1785. The church was completed in 1787 and blessed on 28 October of the same year. Its architecture, of church-halle type, is distinguished by a monumental facade with concave arches, eight doric pilasters, and a square bell tower covered with an imperial roof. The interior, composed of three equal height naves, is decorated with Louis XVI woodwork and 18th century retables.

The building was listed for historical monuments on December 9, 1946. In the 19th century, consolidation interventions (columns, roofs, stairs) were carried out by architects Renahy, Humbert and Humbaire. The clock, installed in 1877, comes from the Cretin-l-Ange factory in Morbier. The church remains a major testimony of the religious art of the Enlightenment in Franche-Comté, combining community functionality and architectural ambition.

The ancient medieval church, embedded in a clunisian priory, had become unsuitable since the 18th century. Its abandonment to a new building reflects the demographic and urban changes in Port-sur-Saône, as well as the influence of ecclesiastical and royal institutions. The reconstruction also takes place in the context of the royal forest management, since Franche-Comté was integrated after the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678) into the "Great control of the waters and forests of the Duchy and County of Burgundy".

The architect Anatole Amoudru, key figure of the project, designs a church hall among the most monumental in the region. Its initial plan, modified for budgetary reasons, removes a span and refocuss the building on land acquired after negotiations. Local artisans, such as the painter Xavier Hecht and the sculptor Ferjoux Frelet, contribute to interior decoration, combining classical styles and Louis XVI. The church thus embodies both a response to parish needs and a showcase of franc-comtois artistic know-how.

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