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Origin and history

The Saint-Gengoux church of Saint-Gengoux-de-Scisse, dedicated to Saint Gengoux (or Gangolf d'Avallon), was mentioned in the 10th century in a charter of Cluny Abbey. Around 976-977, she was ceded in precariousness to a nobleman named Drogon and his family, against an annual cens of two denarros paid in the chapter of Saint Vincent de Mâcon. This partially Romanesque place of worship today preserves a bell tower and a 12th century apse, while its nave was rebuilt in 1865-1867.

The bell tower, with a square section and an openwork belfry, houses a bell recast in 1950 by the Paccard foundry of Annecy. The old bell, dated 1710 and cracked in 1918 during the Armistice, had as godfather the parish priest Joseph Choppintre and as godmother Anthoinette Maistre. The Romanesque abside, adorned with Lombard arches, now serves as a sacristy, while the modern choir features late nineteenth-century murals, including a Trinitarian triangle and papal coat of arms.

The building, registered with the historical monuments in 1932, has since 2020 included the "Chemins du roman en Mâconnais Sud Bourgogne". Its furniture includes a pietà and a Saint Catherine of the 15th-XVIth centuries, discovered in the old cemetery, as well as an 18th-century altarpiece depicting Saint Gengoux as a Roman soldier. The church, still dedicated to Catholic worship, is part of the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Coteaux-en-Mâconnais, based in Lugny.

The Romanesque parts, limited to the span under a bell tower and to the abside, contrast with the modern nave and its sides. The paintings of the choir, on turquoise blue background, celebrate the Blessed Sacrament with the inscription Adoremus in aeternum sanctissimum sacramentum. A recent tourist signage highlights its heritage, within the framework of the PETR Mâconnais Sud Bourgogne.

The liturgical furniture also includes an 18th century cross Christ, a carved pulpit and a wooden confessional. The present, unique bell replaces that of 1710, symbolizing the link between local history and collective memory, notably through the anecdote of its crack on November 11, 1918. The church remains an active place of worship, showing religious continuity since the Middle Ages.

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