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Origin and history

The Saint-Marcel de Prémery church, located in the Nièvre department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a former Gothic collegiate church built in the early thirteenth century, with additions from the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is distinguished by its architectural unity and harmonious proportions, although without transept and triforium. Located in the heart of the former episcopal village, it was the centre of a college of canons founded around 1196 by Bishop John I, who was buried there.

The origins of the building date back to a charter of 1173 authorizing the fortification of the village by Bishop Bernard de Saint-Saulge, accelerating the episcopal presence. The current construction began around 1196, probably replacing a place of Romanesque worship attested by a 11th or 12th century capital. The chapter of canons, mentioned in various documents of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, benefited from donations and was marked by internal conflicts, as in 1265, where Bishop Robert de Marzy judged a dispute.

In the 15th century, the church became a place of devotion around Nicolas Appleine, canon died in 1466 and known for his miracles. Louis XI, informed of his holiness, had an altar erected in his honour in 1483 and established a brotherhood. Appleine's bones, transferred several times, were finally placed in the sacristy in 1731. The church, classified as a Historical Monument in 1840, preserves remarkable furniture elements, such as a 15th century stake and merovingian sarcophagi discovered during excavations in 1995.

The architecture of the church reflects two distinct construction campaigns: the bedside, built in the early 13th century, has a two-storey ordinance with narrow arches and windows, while the nave, completed later, shows Burgundy influences. Archaeological excavations revealed Merovingian burials and an ancient cemetery near the bell tower, confirming the historic significance of the site.

Today, the church of Saint-Marcel, opened on request, houses classified furniture, including paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries and a bentier in cast iron. Its steeple, sober facade and massive interior make it a characteristic example of the provincial Gothic, marked by solidity rather than ornamentation.

The monument remains a major testimony of the religious and episcopal history of the Nièvre, linked both to the power of the bishops of Nevers and to popular devotion, especially around the figure of Nicolas Appleine, whose cult lasted until the modern era.

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