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Origin and history

The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Cerisiers, located in the Yonne department, is a religious building dating back to the twelfth century. It was originally built as a Romanesque chapel by the Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, as part of their local commanding office. This first building was enlarged a century later by the addition of a large nave, complementing the existing small nave (now the south side).

Inside, a medieval tombstone attracts attention: that of Commander Guy de Boissanz, who died in 1226. His Latin epitaph, partially illegible, evokes his life dedicated to the poor and widowers, as well as his Christian faith. This inscription offers a rare testimony of funeral practices and the spirituality of the Hospitallers at that time.

The history of the command of Cerisiers was marked by wars, which gradually ransacked it. In 1469 she was reunited with Launay's, ending her autonomy. The church retained several remarkable elements, including six bronze bells. Among these, two clock bells dated 1536, always accompanied by their original mechanism, as well as the bell Jehanne (1543) and Jeanne-Élisabeth (1707, diameter 120 cm). Two modern bells, Renée-Marie and Suzanne, were added in 1994, illustrating the continuity of worship in this place.

Today, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church remains a symbol of the religious and hospital heritage of Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Its employers' feast, celebrated on June 24, perpetuates a centuries-old tradition linked to the Archdiocese of Sens.

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