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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Georges de Quarré-les-Tombes, located in the department of Yonne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a building whose oldest parts date back to the 12th century, with major reconstructions in the 15th and 16th centuries. Originally, a wooden chapel dedicated to Saint George, legendary savior of the village of the Saracens, occupied the site. The current choir, rebuilt in the 16th century by the monks of Moutiers-Saint-Jean Abbey, replaces this primitive chapel. The building was thoroughly renovated in 1782 by parish priest Blaise Bégon, who had the nave, transept, dome and bell tower erected, the latter being raised in 1832.

In the 19th century, the church underwent several notable transformations: in 1846, large curved windows were pierced, and two Gothic chapels were added to the choir in 1848 by parish priest Vaast Henry, financed in part by wealthy parishioners like Robert de Chevannes or the Count of Chastellux. The portal, dated 1851, is decorated with statues of the four evangelists and a representation of the Holy Trinity. The building, surrounded by 112 Merovingian sarcophagi (including two kept inside), was listed as a historical monument in 1931. The origin of these sarcophagi, carved in a stone from 25 km distant quarries, remains mysterious.

The church's furniture bears witness to its historical richness: a 17th-century altarpiece decorated with a 16th-century painting depicting St.Georges, polychrome stone statues, and a wooden pulpit dating from the time of Louis XIV, known for hosting the preaching of Fénelon. Curé Blaise Bégon, a major figure in the history of the monument, is commemorated by a marble monument in the right collateral. The paintings of the dome, made in 1841 by an Italian artist, and the marble altars, including the one dedicated to the Virgin installed in 1864, complete this exceptional heritage.

Among the notable burials, the tomb of Olivier de Chastellux (died 1610), adorned with its bust, recalls the ties of the local nobility with the building. Successive priests, such as Vaast Henry (1823-1883), marked the history of the church through their architectural and pastoral initiatives. The Merovingian sarcophagi, studied in 2009 by archaeologists Stéphane Büttner and Fabrice Henrion, add a unique archaeological dimension to this site, where legend, faith and medieval history combine.

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