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Origin and history

The Saint-Symphorian church of Saint-Pantaléon, located in Autun in Saône-et-Loire, is a 19th-century parish church. It succeeds a first church attested as early as 1132, given by Bishop Stephen I of Baugé to the abbey of Saint-Martin in Autun. This medieval building, restored after the Wars of Religion thanks to the intervention of parishioners, was finally replaced because of its smallness after the Revolution.

The construction of the new church, initiated between 1858 and 1859 under the direction of architect André Berthier, partially reused elements of the old church, as the bell tower redone in 1830. Consecrated in 1863 by Bishop Frédéric-Gabriel of Marguerye, it adopts a neo-Roman style and houses precious furniture, including a altarpiece of the Annunciation (1520) and a statue of Saint John the Baptist (15th century).

The church is linked to local traditions, such as the fountain of Saint-Symphorien, an ancient place of pilgrimage to cure fever or to invoke rain. This site, marked by legends, bears witness to the spiritual and community anchoring of the building in the region.

A renovation in 1897 completed the major improvements of the church, which today preserves a triptych representing a Virgin with the Child with Saint John the Baptist, a legacy of his multisevere history.

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