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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul de Montceaux-l'Étoile, located in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a religious building dating mainly from the 12th century, although some sources also mention the 13th century. The nave, the bell tower and part of the choir bear witness to this Romanesque period. His sculpted portal, representing the Ascension of Christ around 1120-1125, is considered a masterpiece of the bronze sculpture, comparable to the works of Anzy-le-Duc or Vézelay. Archvolts and carved capitals, as well as the bell tower's geminied bays, illustrate the British Romanesque style, characteristic of the region.

In the 19th century, the church underwent major changes. In 1804, an annex was added in front of the gate to enlarge the interior space, following the consolidation of the parishes of Montceaux-l'Étoile and Vindecy. This addition was demolished in 1900-1901 during restoration work, after the construction of a new church in Vindecy around 1875. The nave vault, rebuilt in the 19th century, and subsequent restorations (1998-1999 for the exterior, 2007-2008 for the interior) have preserved this building, which has been a historic monument since November 16, 1893.

The interior of the church reveals a mixture of styles and eras. The unique nave, oriented to the east, preserves double-brased Romanesque bays, while frescoes of the sixteenth century, depicting Saint Vincent and Saint John the Evangelist, adorn the north wall and the apse. A rococo funeral chapel, built in 1777 for Claudine de Saint-Georges by her husband Abel de Vichy, was restored in the 19th century, recently revealing its original gilding and false marbles. Modern stained glass windows, created in 2008 by Father Kim En Joong and entitled Paradise, add a contemporary touch to this medieval heritage.

The 12th century gate is a remarkable element, carved from a single limestone slab. It represents the Ascension of Christ surrounded by the Apostles and two angels, a rare iconography in Burgundy but more common in the southwest of France. The sculptures, of exceptional quality, recall the works of the workshops of Cluny III or the portals of Vézelay. The tympanum and lintel, featuring the twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary and an angel, illustrate Burgundy Romanesque art in all its finesse.

The church is still an active place of worship, attached to the diocese of Autun and to the parish of Saint-Hugues-en-Brionnais-Bords-de-Loire. His history was closely linked to local families, such as the Vichy, including Roch-Étienne de Vichy, the last Prior of Anzy-le-Duc and chaplain of Marie-Antoinette, briefly served there in 1803-1804. Today, it is one of the Romanesque buildings highlighted by the International Center for Romanesque Studies (CIER-Résonance romane) in the leaflet Le patrimoine romane en Bourgogne du Sud, published in 2024.

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