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Origin and history

The Saint-Maurice church of Annonay, located in the hamlet of Toissieu, finds its origins in the 12th century with the construction of a first parish church. This place of worship, initially modest with a unique nave and a Romanesque bedside, was profoundly transformed over the centuries, especially after the French Revolution, where it experienced periods of closure and reopening to worship.

In 1876, the irreparable state of the old church, which was considered too heavy and poorly located, led the d'Annonay City Council to decide on its reconstruction. The first stone was blessed in December 1876, and the new Gothic-style church was opened to worship in 1877. Its architecture, marked by a unique nave and an atypical bell tower located at the corner of the choir and transept, reflects the influences of architect William Guibert, then in charge of local urban planning.

The twentieth century made major changes, notably after the Second Vatican Council (1965), with a reorganisation of the choir to allow the celebration "against the people". The church also houses notable heritage elements, such as stained glass windows signed Benoit Bessac (late 19th century), statues of local saints, and a harmonium acquired at the beginning of the 20th century. His history is also marked by tragic events, such as the storm of 1999, which severely damaged his roof.

The Church of Saint-Maurice has always played a central role in the community life of Toissieu. From the Middle Ages, it was the spiritual heart of the hamlet, with an adjacent cemetery and holy bells in 1851, still in use today. Its parish status evolved with religious and administrative reforms, moving from a branch of Villevocance to an independent parish, and then integrated into interparoisial ensembles in the 20th century.

The stained glass windows of the church, contemporaneous with its reconstruction, illustrate local devotions and holy figures, such as Saint John Francis Régis or Saint Philomena, reflecting the rural piety of the time. The monument to the dead, added in the 1920s, commemorates the soldiers of the hamlet who fell during the First World War, highlighting its anchor in collective history.

Today, Saint-Maurice's church, classified in the parish "Blessed Gabriel Longueville" since 2021, remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the Annonay basin. Its interior, preserved in its original state, offers a rare glimpse of French rural churches before modern renovations, with liturgical furniture mixing tradition and contemporary adaptations.

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