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Origin and history

The Saint-Savinien-le-Jeune de Sens church, located in Yonne, has its origins in the early seventeenth century. Built in 1618 as a chapel of the convent of the Penitents under the name of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours, it was financed by Monsignor Jean du Perron, brother of Cardinal Jacques Davy du Perron. The Penitents settled there, but a trial in 1682 opposed them to the Benedictines, blocking their expansion. During the French Revolution (1789), the surrounding land was dismantled and the building converted into a hay hangar. After its rehabilitation in 1822, it became a parish church dedicated to Saint Savinien, the first bishop of Sens, and was renovated in 1893.

The church was listed as a historical monument in 2014 after a long period of degradation. Closed from 2010 to 2017 for risks of collapse (unsteady carpentry, collapsed roofing, dangerous cornices), it benefited from urgent consolidation work: pulling, strengthening the entry, and partial replacement of the cover. A monumental arch of the Restoration, decorated with a rare bas-relief depicting God the Father surrounded by angels, separates the nave from the choir. The building also houses 17th and 18th century paintings and statuary, mostly classified.

Since 2015, associations such as Sens Patrimoine (led by Mkrtitch Martirossyan after Mike Baray's death in 2023) have warned about his critical condition: water infiltrations, fragile masonries, and mould threatening interior decors. Despite efforts by DRAC and UDAP to force the city of Sens to act, the church remains at risk, symbolizing the challenges of preserving the local religious heritage. Its history reflects political upheavals (Rvolution, Restoration) and contemporary safeguard issues.

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