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Origin and history

The church Saint-Prix-et-Saint-Cot de Saint-Bris-le-Vineux finds its origins in the fifth century, when Saint Germain, bishop of Auxerre, discovered the burials of Saint Prix and Saint Cot and built a chapel there. This early place of devotion marks the beginning of a religious history rooted in Burgundy soil, linked to the early times of Christianity in Gaul.

The present building, built between the 12th and 15th centuries, combines Gothic and Renaissance styles. Its twelve 16th century stained glass windows, made by artisans of the Cathedral of Auxerre, illustrate the life of the two patron saints. The sarcophagus of Saint Price, the object of popular practices until the 19th century (mothers placed their sick children there to plead for their healing), bears witness to an unbroken cult since late antiquity.

Ranked a historic monument in 1904, the church is distinguished by its sculpted northern gate (the Gate of the Insiders), its 13th century bell tower with octagonal turret, and its dogive vaulted Gothic nave. The Renaissance choir, the private chapels founded around 1500 (like that of the Regnauldin family), and a tree of Jesse painted (1500) enrich this heritage. The 17th century organs, transferred from Auxerre, and the numerous tomb plates on the ground recall its central role in community life.

The site was once girded by a cemetery and an external chapel (Saint-Laurent), dependent on the abbey of Pontigny. The large bell, christened in 1766, and the glass windows in grey on the north side complete to make this building a remarkable architectural and historical complex, reflecting more than a thousand years of faith and art in Burgundy.

The church, owned by the commune, remains a place of memory where there are intersecting hagiographic legends, medieval sacred art and popular traditions, illustrating the permanence of the sacred in the French rural landscape.

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