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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Madeleine de Baigneux-les-Jifs, located in the Côte-d'Or department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, finds its origins in the 13th century, as evidenced by a tricephal cross carved around 1300, today placed under the porch. This first building, with a single nave and a flat bedside, retained a vault in a cross-dogives supporting a primitive bell tower above the cross-section of the choir. Major transformations took place in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the addition of two side chapels, a sacristy (dated 1693), and the replacement of the original bell tower with a new bell tower erected above the porch in 1861. These developments reflect the evolution of the liturgical and aesthetic needs of the local community.

The interior of the church houses remarkable furniture and decor, illustrating centuries of sacred art. Among the oldest elements are a 14th-century cross Christ and 15th-century wall paintings adorning the vault of the choir, representing Christ in majesty surrounded by the four evangelists and their symbols. The 17th and 18th centuries enriched the building with statues (Holy Madeleine, Saint Sebastian, Virgin with the Child) and two murals, one dedicated to St Mary the Egyptian. These works bear witness to the artistic and devotional vitality of the parish in the modern era.

Classified in the Inventory of Historical Monuments since 1947, the church of Sainte-Madeleine illustrates the rural religious architecture of Burgundy, mixing medieval heritage and Baroque additions. Its simple plan (single nave, flat-bottomed choir) and its bell tower make it a characteristic example of the parish churches of the region, while its furniture, preserved despite the changes, offers a panorama of the statuary and religious painting from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Official protection underscores its heritage value, both for its history and for its role in the Châtillonnais cultural landscape.

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