First mention of Saint-Étienne-de-Furan Vers l’an mil (≈ 50)
Early church quoted in Jarez Archpriest.
1173
Permutation Forez-Lyonnais
Permutation Forez-Lyonnais 1173 (≈ 1173)
Pacification of the post-conflict region.
1310
Bequest of Jocerand from Urgel
Bequest of Jocerand from Urgel 1310 (≈ 1310)
Donation for church reconstruction.
1450–1480
Construction of the Grand Church
Construction of the Grand Church 1450–1480 (≈ 1465)
Forezian Gothic style, double word.
1562–1598
Wars of Religion
Wars of Religion 1562–1598 (≈ 1580)
Pillows and damage to the building.
1793–1795
Use as a revolutionary forge
Use as a revolutionary forge 1793–1795 (≈ 1794)
Manufacture of weapons, then restoration of worship.
29 décembre 1949
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 29 décembre 1949 (≈ 1949)
Protection of the building (except for the upper part of the bell tower).
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Grand'Eglise or Saint-Etienne Church, except for a modern upper part of the bell tower: inscription by decree of 29 December 1949
Key figures
Jocerand d’Urgel - Lord of Saint-Priest-en-Jarez
Finances reconstruction in 1310.
Pierre-Antoine Dalgabio - Architect
Restore the church as a place of worship in 1795.
Origin and history
The Grand'Église, or Saint-Étienne-et-Saint-Laurent Church, is a Gothic religious building built between 1450 and 1480 in the historic centre of Saint-Étienne (Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). Built in coal sandstone, it replaces a primitive chapel mentioned from the year mill under the name of Saint-Étienne-de-Furan, whose exact location remains uncertain. His double name honours the martyrs Saint Stephen (the patron saint of the city) and Saint Laurent. The choir, rebuilt before 1486 in flamboyant Gothic style, succeeds a structure in ruins in 1469. The Latin cross plan consists of a central nave of five spans, side stockings with side chapels, and a non-overhanging transept.
Sources prior to the 15th century are rare due to the destruction of the Stéphanois archives during the Hundred Years War (1359–1362). A legacy of 1310 by Jocerand d'Urgel, seigneur of Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, is already financing a reconstruction project, suggesting an ancient desire to enlarge the building. The parish, vast and strategic, once extended from the Furan to Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, in a pacified zone after the conflict between the Count of Forez and the Archbishop of Lyon (1030–1173). Originally under the patronage of the Lords of Saint-Priest, she passed under the influence of the Church of Lyon after the rotation of 1173.
The church was looted and maimed during the Wars of Religion (1562–198), then during the Revolution, where it was transformed into a forge shop to make weapons. Restored as a place of worship in 1795 by architect Pierre-Antoine Dalgabio, it welcomed an organ in 1844 and saw its side entrance equipped with a porch in 1853, after the building of the presbytery on the site of the old cemetery. Its bell tower (partly modern) and its structure in polylobed pillars decorated with sculptures (human or animal heads) illustrate its Forezian Gothic style. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1949 and remains a symbol of the heritage of St.
Lateral chapels were gradually added, the first dating from 1619, after the demolition of the northern enclosure, which initially prevented their construction. The material used, coal sandstone, which is not weather resistant, now gives the facade a characteristic "gallet" aspect. The building, owned by the commune, preserves traces of its past uses, such as the carved caps of the dogive crosses or the geometric motifs of the octagonal pillars.
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