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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Maurice de Thoisy-le-Désert, located in the Côte-d'Or department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a religious building dating mainly from the twelfth century. It is distinguished by its medieval architecture, with a arched transept of warheads, a choir adorned with windows in the middle, and an octagonal bell tower surmounted by a tufa arrow. The monument, which has been classified as a historical monument since 1922, retains traces of subsequent renovations, especially in the 15th and 19th centuries.

The stone bench porch precedes a western gate whose lintel, in use, comes from a funerary slab. The nave, covered with a modern brick ceiling, contrasts with the Romanesque parts of the choir and transept, built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century. The vaults and the window of the bedside, reborn in the 15th century, as well as the drop-in beam at the entrance of the choir, bear witness to this period. Restoration work in the 19th century involved the arrow (1825), the frame (1854-1856) and the porch (1863).

The building, surrounded by the cemetery on three sides, adjoins the buildings of the rectory to the north. Its architecture combines defensive and liturgical elements, typical of Burgundy rural churches. The sacristy, backed by the choir, and the twined bays of the bell tower illustrate the stylistic evolution of the monument. An inscription dated 1368, engraved on the arch of the north arm of the transept, attests to a liturgical foundation, without direct connection to the construction.

Classified as historical monuments by order of 23 June 1922, Saint-Maurice Church is owned by the commune. Only the choir, the transept and the bell tower enjoy this protection, with the exception of the nave. The monument, still in cultural activity, reflects the religious and architectural history of medieval and modern Burgundy.

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