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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The priory of Marast, founded in the early 12th century (1117) by Richard de Montfaucon and Thiébaud de Rougemont, depended on the abbey of Chaumousey. Confirmed in 1122 by the archbishop of Besançon and in 1123 by Pope Calixte II, he was placed under the protection of the archbishops, who gave him gifts for the following centuries. The church, built between 1120 and 1130 under the name of the Virgin Mary, was renamed Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in the 13th century because of local devotion. The canons, following the rule of St Augustine, gradually abandoned the common life from the fourteenth century, reducing their number to four.

The priory retained symbolic importance thanks to the parish churches that depended on it (Esprels, Méleley, etc.) and to the burials of noble locals, such as the lords of Villersexel, who built a chapel there. In 1611 he was attached to the chapter of the collegiate Notre-Dame de Dole by decision of the Archduces Albert and Marie d'Austria. Religious life ended in 1747 with the death of the last canon. Sold as a national property in 1792, the site will house a small seminary (1809-1812), then a school run by the Brothers of Mary (1835-1905), before being partially transformed into a farm.

The architecture of the church combines Romanesque elements (nef with eight spans, capitals of Rhine influence, polygonal apse) and posterior additions: a 16th century frame in inverted keel, and a bell tower remodeled in the 18th century, surmounted by a dome to the imperial. The cloister and the apartments of the religious, destroyed in the 18th century, have left room for conventual buildings in poor condition. Classified as a historical monument in 1977 (church) and in 2010 (whole of the priory), the building now houses concerts and an annual mass dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, attracting the faithful of the region.

The tombstones of the chapel of the lords of Villersexel, transferred to the choir, testify to its funeral role for the local aristocracy. Among them are those of Isabel de Mailly (†1253), Aymon de Villersexel (†1309), or Henri de Villersexel (†1412), Count of La Roche. The priory was also marked by incidents, such as the fire of 1838 destroying barns and stables, or the transformations related to its successive uses (seminars, schools, farms).

Today, the Association Les Amis du Prieuré de Marast animates the site, organizing cultural events in the church, property of the Departmental Council of Haute-Saône. The priory, with its enclosure, fence walls and adjacent fountain, has been fully classified since 2010. Its history reflects the religious, political and social evolutions of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, from medieval donations to secularization under the Third Republic.

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