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Origin and history

The Saint-Nazaire church of Bourbon-Lancy is a Romanesque religious building built in the 11th century. It belonged to a priory given to Cluny Abbey around 1030 by Anseric de Bourbon. Conventual buildings, now missing, were destroyed during the French Revolution. The church itself, in poor condition at the end of the 19th century, escaped demolition thanks to the intervention of Senator Ferdinand Sarrien, who obtained his ranking in 1893.

The architecture of the church is characterized by a glazed nave, a salient transept and a choir developed with apse and apsidioles. The square pillars, devoid of capitals, and the arches in full hanger reflect the sobriety of the Romanesque style. The west gate and the bell tower, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, bear witness to later interventions. Since 1897, the building has housed the Saint-Nazaire Museum, which exhibits Gallo-Roman, medieval and contemporary art.

The museum preserves significant archaeological objects, such as a Gallo-Roman funerary stele in marble, medieval sarcophagi from the excavations of Saint Martin's church, and a celtic urn discovered in Bibracte. These collections illustrate local history, from ancient and medieval times to modern times. The church, owned by the commune, remains a major cultural place of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, combining religious heritage and museumography.

Originally dedicated to destruction in 1892 because of its degraded state, the church was preserved thanks to its classification as a historical monument. Ferdinand Sarrien, a local political figure, played a key role in his preservation and conversion into a museum space. Today, the site combines the preservation of the Romanesque building and the enhancement of archaeological collections, while hosting temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.

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