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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Chaource, built mainly in the 16th century, finds its origins in a project initiated since the end of the 12th century by the abbey Saint-Pierre de Montiéramey, then owner of the city since 880. The choir, financed by the abbey, was completed in the thirteenth century, while the parishioners took over the chapels and other parts, whose construction was delayed by the black plague and the Hundred Years War. The building was finally consecrated in 1304 by Bertrand de Goth, bishop of Langres, under the original name of Saint Marguerite, before being dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

The church, classified as a historic monument in 1840, illustrates a typical Gothic Latin cross plan, with a nave facing west-east. Its interior houses some 60 medieval sculptures, including major works of the Troyan sculpture school, such as the polychrome statues of St.Barbe and St.Marguerite (16th century). The chapel of the Sepulchre, built in 1515, contains a Tomblay considered one of the most moving in Europe, attributed to the workshop of the Master of Chaource. The stained glass windows, restored after the 1940 bombings, date to some from 1536 and depict biblical scenes such as the life of St Sebastian.

The financing of the building reflects medieval customs: the abbey borne the costs of the choir, while parishioners and local donors, such as Sébastien David and his wife Bertrande Le Tartrier, financed chapels and works of art. The Paradise Chapel, founded in 1538, houses a 16th century crèche and a table of the Passion dated 1532. The organ, installed in 1791, came from Montiéramey Abbey and was restored in the 19th century. These elements demonstrate the importance of Chaource as a religious and artistic centre in Champagne.

Among the architectural peculiarities are the hagioscopes (openings in the pillars allowing to see the choir), the Renaissance fence of the Paradise Chapel (1538), and the glass windows narrate the Apocalypse according to Saint John, inspired by the engravings of Dürer. The vault under the chapel of the Sepulchre, where notables were resting before the Revolution, and the coat of arms of donors (like those of the Monstiers) recall the role of noble families in the beautification of the building. The church, still a communal property, remains an exceptional witness to late Gothic art and the devotion of Champagne.

The sculptures, such as the Christ of Pitié or the statues of Saint Vorles and Saint Eloi, reflect strong local cults, especially that of Saint Edme, popular in Champagne and Burgundy. La Mise au Tombeau, with its eight characters in polychrome stone, is often associated with the studio of the Master of Chaource, although his attribution to Jacques Bachot remains hypothetical. The successive restorations, especially after 1940, preserved this heritage, while revealing fragments of mural paintings, such as those of the vault of the Sepulcher.

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church thus embodies nearly seven centuries of religious and artistic history, from its medieval foundation to its ranking among the first French historical monuments. His organ, his altarpieces, and his stained glass windows make it a place of cultural pilgrimage, while his sculptures, like the Virgin with the Child with a disproportionate body, illustrate the evolution of styles between the flamboyant Gothic and the Renaissance. The communal archives and recent studies, such as those of Julien Marasi, continue to shed light on his history and his mysteries, including the identity of the Master of Chaource.

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