Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Villiers-le-Duc, located in the Côte-d'Or department, is a Catholic building dating back to the thirteenth century. The base of the bell tower and the choir, the only remains of this period, were built on the foundations of an old chapel linked to the ducal castle. A gallery then linked the church to this castle, highlighting its local historical importance.

In the 15th century, major changes were undertaken, notably at the level of the nave, which received a painted decoration. The choir, narrower than the nave, was rebuilt in a flamboyant gothic style, with vaults on dogive crosses. The modifications continued in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the opening of bays in the nave and the reconstruction of the portal in 1847.

The church houses remarkable liturgical furniture, including polychrome frescoes of the 15th and 16th centuries representing saints and donors. Among the classified pieces are a 17th century Virgin with Child, statues such as those of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, as well as paintings from the 17th and 19th centuries. Part of the statuary would come from the ancient abbey of the Val des Choues, now extinct.

The building was listed as a historical monument in 1988, and was classified in 1995 for its painted decoration and interior trimmings. The façade, adorned with a guttered porch, and the 13th century bell tower, located at the junction with the choir, bear witness to its architectural evolution throughout the centuries.

The church, owned by the municipality of Villiers-le-Duc, illustrates the religious and artistic history of Burgundy. Its architecture, combining medieval elements and later additions, makes it a representative example of the French rural heritage, marked by successive transformations and the reuse of elements from other religious buildings.

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