Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Martin de Millery, located in the Rhône department, was built around 1460 at the site of a former oratory and a cross. It presents a unique architectural mix: the choir, nave and chapel of the Virgin (dated 1545) are Gothic, while the chapel of the Sacred Heart, originally dedicated to Sainte-Anne until 1885, adopts a Romanesque style. The sacristies, located behind the choir and chapels, preserve 15th century Gothic windows, including an old opening linked to the lords of Millery.

The monument is distinguished by its structure in the shape of a Latin cross, where the choir and the nave form the rise, and the two chapels the arms. The tympanum of the front door features a bas-relief depicting Jesus with children, accompanied by the inscription Sinite parvulos coming ad me, evoking spiritual simplicity. The church, listed as historical monuments since June 6, 1939, belongs to the municipality of Millery and stands on a terrace accessible by a staircase dividing in the middle.

Historical sources also mention that the chapel of the Virgin was once reserved for local lords, as evidenced by an opening in the right wall of the altar. The building thus illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of the region, between the late Middle Ages and the modern era, while preserving strong symbolic elements, such as the bas-relief of the tympanum or the Gothic stained glass windows reused in the sacristies.

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