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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin de Laives church, located in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a Catholic building built in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century (1829-1834) by architect Duthil in a classical style. It replaces an old Romanesque church of the 11th century, which was built on a site occupied since the Neolithic (700 B.C.), where followed a Druidic temple, a Roman sanctuary dedicated to Mercury, and a first Christian chapel founded by Saint Martin in the 4th century. The present church, classified as a historical monument in 1905 (for the old one) and 1993 (for the 19th building), overlooks the Saône valley and modern roads (A6, D906).

The site, strategic since ancient times, was a pagan and later Christian place of worship. The early chapel, mentioned in 894 in a charter of King Eudes, belonged to the bishopric of Nevers. The 11th century Romanesque church, in Lombard style with a vaulted nave and a square bell tower, was a visible landmark on the "Chemin des Moines" between Cluny and La Ferté. In the Middle Ages, two Gothic chapels were added (1476 and 1516), and a hermitage built in the sixteenth century. During the Revolution, it became a temple of Reason before being abandoned in 1830 in favour of a new church at the bottom of the village.

In the 20th century, the church played a role during the two world wars: refuge for the soldiers of the 265th regiment in 1914-1918, then hiding weapons for the Resistance in 1939-1945, which was worth the monument of the bombings and the partial destruction of the choir. Partially restored (access roads in 1980, lighting in 1991), it remains a local symbol, nicknamed the "lighthouse of Burgundy" thanks to its night illumination. Today, it depends on the parish of Saint-Martin- entre-Saône-et-Grosne (diocese of Autun) and retains a strong heritage and memorial value.

Current architecture, sober and classic, contrasts with the site's Romanesque past. The square bell tower, inherited from the medieval church, still dominates the hill, while the remains of the Gothic chapels and hermitage remind the historical strata of the place. The steep springs and paths surrounding the building bear witness to its anchoring in landscape and community life, from medieval pilgrims to the resistors of 1944.

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