Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Eusebius of Auxerre came into being in the seventh century, when Saint Pallade, the 20th bishop of Auxerre (622-657), founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Eusebius of Verceil outside the walls of the city. Often attacked and destroyed, this monastery was abandoned by the monks at the end of the eighth century, then passed under the control of the Cathedral of Auxerre. In the 11th century, Bishop Humbaud (1087-1114) introduced regular canons of Saint-Laurent, transforming Saint-Eusèbe into a priory and parish around 1130. The church, rebuilt several times, suffered a fire in 1216 and saw its bedside collapse in 1523.

The reconstruction of the bedside in the 16th century adopts the Renaissance style, with remarkable windows, especially in the axial chapel dedicated to the Virgin. The stained glass windows, destroyed and then replaced after the Wars of Religion (1567-1568), tell part of the story of Saint Laurent, secondary patron of the church. The portal, erected in 1633, carries representations of Saint Eusebius and Saint Laurent. In 1634, the priory was affiliated with the regular canons of Sainte-Geneviève de Paris, which restored and embellished the building.

The nave, reworked between the 13th and 15th centuries, is based on a 12th century Romanesque bell tower, similar to that of Saint-Germain Abbey in Auxerre. The choir, rebuilt in the 16th century, overlooks the nave. The church is home to precious relics, including a 9th century Byzantine fabric called "Sudaire de Saint Germain", as well as Italian paintings from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, it bears witness to a turbulent history marked by destruction, reconstruction and architectural transformation.

Originally located outside the fortifications of the third century, the church is integrated into the city with the construction of the second enclosure by Peter II of Courtenay in 1196. Its location on Rue Saint-Eusèbe reflects its central role in the religious and community life of Auxerre. The canons, few in the 18th century, gradually sold the land of the priory, leading to the construction of private houses on the plots.

The historical sources, such as the Mémoires de l'Abbé Jean Lebeuf (1743) or the studies of A. Lescuyer (1839), underline the importance of Saint-Eusèbe in the Auserroian heritage. The glass windows, studied by Danielle Velde and Françoise Perrot (2016), illustrate the artistic and religious evolution of the building, while the relics and paintings bear witness to its spiritual and cultural influence throughout the centuries.

External links