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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Gengoux, built in the 12th and 13th centuries in Saint-Gengoux-le-National (Saône-et-Loire), finds its origins in a dean depending on the Abbey of Cluny in the 10th century. The building, completed at the end of the 12th century, was burned by the Huguenots around 1556, then rebuilt. His history was marked by major transformations, such as the destruction of four chapels in 1802 to build a wheat hall, or the replacement of his studded roof in 1867 by a pointed arrow designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Work continued in the 18th and 19th centuries, including on the nave, the lower side, and the stained glass windows.

In the 19th century, the church was enriched with stained-glass windows signed by Édouard Didron (1874) and Georges-Claudius Lavergne (1899), reflecting Catholic renewal and the local Burgundy context. In 1899, relics of Saint Gengoux were deposited there, strengthening his status as a place of worship and pilgrimage. The wooden bridge linking the Clock Tower to the bell tower, replaced by a metal deck, was restored to wood in 2003. Since 2004, the church has belonged to the European Federation of Clunisian Sites, highlighting its spiritual and architectural heritage.

Listed at the Historic Monuments in 1926, the church maintains remarkable furniture, including a painting by Hippolyte Bonnardel (1849) depicting Saint Gengoux distributing bread to the poor. Its two bells, dated 1629 and 1806, bear witness to its central role in community life. Today, it remains an active Catholic place of worship, attached to the parish of Saint-Louis-entre-Grosne-et-Guye, perpetuating a multi-year religious tradition.

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