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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The hermitage of Saint-Valbert originated in the life of Valbert de Luxeuil (c. 595-668), the son of a Viscount of Meaux who became a monk. Around 629, after leading the abbey of Luxeuil, he retired to a nearby cave, now 4 km north of Saint-Valbert. This place, with a source, becomes a hermitage and then a pilgrimage site after his death. In the 16th century, Dom Guillaume de Queuve, sacristan of Luxeuil, built a small access building to facilitate visits by the faithful.

In the 18th century, the site was profoundly renovated: a chapel (1757), a building for pilgrims, a monumental entrance around the source (1758), and French-style gardens were added under the auspices of the monks of Luxeuil. The French Revolution led to its sale to local industrialists. Rached in 1843 by the archbishop of Besançon, then ceded to the small seminary of Luxeuil, the hermitage deteriorated after the law of 1905 on the separation of churches and the state. Its restoration began in 1961 with the association of friends of Saint Colomban.

The site now includes the original cave under a rock, a monumental entrance spring, a chapel rebuilt in 1963 (at the site of an 18th-century building), and a modern inn for visitors. Ranked a historic monument in 1914 for its cave and fountain, it also preserves the remains of a 16th-century building and a calvary offered by a family. A sandstone quarry and a deep food reserve recall its past use.

Hermitage illustrates the continuity of a local cult linked to Saint-Valbert, combining monastic history, religious architecture and popular traditions. Its evolution reflects the political upheavals (Rvolution, separation Church-State) and heritage preservation efforts in the 20th century.

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