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Origin and history

The Saint-Ferréol church of Saint-Fargeau, located in the department of Yonne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a Catholic religious building built in the 4th quarter of the 13th century. According to the sources, it was erected at the initiative of Thibault, Count of Bar, who married Jeanne de Toucy, heir of the seigneuries of Saint-Fargeau in 1255. This marriage bond would suggest a desire to mark the territory with an emblematic building, reflecting both the seigneurial power and the piety of the time.

The church underwent important restorations during the 19th century, especially in its second half, partially changing its original appearance. These works, common at a time when the medieval heritage was often "redesigned" to suit romantic tastes or liturgical needs, may have altered certain structural or decorative elements. Despite these transformations, the building preserves traces of its medieval history, as evidenced by its 13th century stained glass windows, whose fragments are now preserved at the Ariana Museum in Geneva after their dispersion in 1891.

Ranked a historical monument by decree of 13 April 1907, the church houses remarkable furniture, including works of art covering centuries. These include a triptych of the Crucifixion (15th century), a Pietà and a statue of Saint Ferréol (16th century), as well as paintings of the Second Empire. The original stained glass windows, partially saved before their sale, offered biblical scenes (Passion, Childhood of Christ) and representations of saints, characterized by red-crumbled backgrounds, typical of Gothic art. However, their study reveals successive recompositions and restorations, complicating the interpretation of their first iconography.

The dispersal of stained glass windows illustrates 19th-century practices, where collectors such as Gustave Revilliod or merchants such as Alfred Gérente acquired heritage elements for sale or display. These transactions, often poorly documented, have fragmented coherent sets, such as that of Saint-Fargeau, where some medallions (saint Blaise, Jonas, or scenes of the Passion) have been separated from their original context. Today, the church remains a testimony of medieval religious art and its later metamorphoses, while serving as an active place of worship in the commune.

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