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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre de Vignes, located in the village of Vignes (now integrated with Guillon-Terre-Plaine, Yonne), was built in the early twelfth century. Dedicated to St Peter, she keeps a statue of the saint on her portal. In 1145, the bishop of Langres donated it to the abbey of Moutiers-Saint-Jean, marking his spiritual and architectural attachment to this religious institution. The choir, the pre-chœur span and its chapels, covered with full-circle cradles, date from this Romanesque period. The nave, originally rebuilt in the 13th century, remains only by its anterior wall and porch, before being completely rebuilt in the 16th century.

The current structure thus combines elements from the 12th, 13th and 16th centuries: dogive vaults for the nave, broken cradle for the choir, and an ancient 13th century porch. The sacristy, added in the 19th century, completes this ensemble. The building also houses Gothic tumular slabs, testimonies of the past importance of the parish, mentioned in 1422 under the name of Vignes-lès-Guillon in an act of donation to Jehan Davout, lord of Senailly, whose descendants long lived in the village.

Enlisted for historical monuments in 1983, the church illustrates the architectural and social evolution of a Burgundy rural parish, linked to the influence of medieval abbeys and successive reconstructions. Its bell tower, side chapels and carved decoration reflect the transitions between Romanesque and Gothic, while the funeral slabs recall the central role of the church in local memory.

Historical sources, such as the acts of donation or descriptions of the 19th century (including those of Victor Petit in 1870), highlight his anchoring in the religious and seigneurial landscape of the Yonne. Today, it remains a communal property, a marker of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté heritage, between monastic heritage and parish life.

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