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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Maurice de Cirey-lès-Bellevaux, located in the Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, is a religious building from the 4th quarter of the 18th century. Built between 1778 and 1780 on the site of a 12th century chapel (1143), it was inaugurated on 1 January 1780. His Greek cross plan, rare for the time, gives him exceptional acoustic qualities. The church houses precious furniture, including stalls from the Cistercian Abbey of Bellevaux, highlighting its heritage importance.

The history of the church is marked by successive restorations, especially after the damage suffered during a bombing in 1944 during the Second World War. The stained glass windows, destroyed during this event, were replaced in 1956 by the Historical Monuments. The bell tower, damaged, was restored in 1962, followed by a last campaign in 1964. Today, the building suffers from a collapse of the roof, motivating a restoration project carried out by the intercommunal union CVV (Cirey, Vandelans, Valleroy) and supported by the association A.S.R.E.C., created in 2014.

The administration of the church is original: it is the joint property of three communes (Cirey and Vandelans in Haute-Saône, Valleroy in Doubs), gathered within the CVV union. This mode of governance reflects the shared history of these villages, once grouped within the parish of Cirey-lès-Bellevaux. The church architecture, designed by François-Lazare Renaud and executed by the entrepreneur Claude Jambard under the supervision of Louis Beuque, illustrates the local know-how of the eighteenth century. Its bell tower-porch and its structure in coated bells make it a typical example of the franc-comtanian religious heritage.

The Church of Saint-Maurice has been listed as a historical monument since 24 January 1944, and it embodies both an active place of worship and a witness to the architectural and community history of the region. The current restoration efforts aim to preserve this heritage, while stressing its central role in the collective memory of the associated municipalities. Local initiatives, such as those of the A.S.R.E.C., show the inhabitants' attachment to this emblematic monument.

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