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Origin and history

The Sainte-Madeleine de Tournus church, built in the 12th century in the heart of the Romanesque city, was originally dedicated to Sainte-Marie-du-Châtel. Consecrated in 1148 by the bishop of Chalon, it became a central place of worship while Saint-Philibert Abbey was outside the walls. Its simple architecture, with a nave at the bottom and a burgundy Romanesque portal decorated with six columns, reflects the religious art of the period. The carved oak door, dating from the 18th century, was later added by the Cardinal of Fleury.

Over the centuries, the church underwent numerous upheavals: looted by the Huguenots in 1562, closed during the Revolution and transformed into a warehouse in 1793, then threatened with demolition under the Executive Board. Despite plans for deconsecration between 1806 and 1809, it remained a place of worship. In 1904 riots related to the separation of churches and the state severely damaged the building. It was finally listed as a historical monument in 1927, but its persistent degradation led to its administrative closure in 2021.

The interior of the church houses remarkable elements, such as a stone high altar of Prety (1770) offered by Claude Pageault, a statue of the 18th-century Virgin to the Child, and stained glass windows of 1947 depicting Saint Nicholas and Saint Matthew, installed after the explosion of the bridge on the Saône in 1944. The bell tower, once surmounted by an arrow destroyed by a storm in 1557, houses two bells melted in 1862. Today, a local association works for its restoration, alongside two other religious monuments in Tournus.

Its history reflects the religious and political tensions of France, from the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants to the secularization laws of the early twentieth century. Despite these trials, the church remains a major testimony of Burgundy Romanesque art and local piety, although its present state requires urgent intervention to preserve this heritage.

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