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Origin and history

The Saint-Nizier d'Accolay church, located in the Yonne department, is a building built from the second half of the 12th century to the 18th century. It bears witness to a long architectural history, with major revivals in the 14th century, especially on the triumphal arch and the nave. The west gate, dated 1763, and the 18th-century windows in full hangar illustrate the late transformations. The presence of a Merovingian sarcophagus, discovered near the canal, recalls the ancient parish of Accolacus, cited from the sixth century in a liturgical regulation of Saint Aunaire, bishop of Auxerre.

The name of the church, dedicated to Saint Nizier (bishop of Lyons in the 6th century), is explained by a translation of relics in 581 and a subsequent offering in 1888. The building consists of a unique nave extended by a semi-circular apse choir, separated by a 17th century monumental altarpiece, reconstituted in 1991. The 19th century glass windows, made by André Vermonet, represent local saints, while furniture elements (statues, paintings, baptismal fonts) are classified or listed in the Historical Monuments.

The bell tower, adjacent to the choir, features 14th century geminate berries and an inscription dated 1342. The bell, melted in 1840, was restored in 1998. The chapel under the bell tower houses an altar table of the seventeenth century, from the chapel Saint-Clément of Bétry. Traces of painted decoration (Pentalobed flowers) and a relic niche suggest a rich liturgical past, linked to medieval and modern practices.

The nave preserves traces of reconstructions, like a 14th century walled side door, whose tympanum bears motifs painted with red ochre. The baptismal fonts in limestone, inscribed in the Historic Monuments, and the 17th and 19th century statues (including a classified Virgin with the Child) underline the artistic and religious importance of the place. Finally, paintings from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, such as the Nativity (1702) or Saint Nicholas (XIXe), complete this remarkable furniture heritage.

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