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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-la-Levée chapel, located at the so-called "La Chapelle" near Tillenay, finds its origins in a "House-Dieu" erected in 1244 by Perron de Saint-Seine, knight and lord of Villers-les-Pots. This building, placed under the name of Notre-Dame, depended on the diocese of Chalon. Rebuilt around 1295 at the initiative of Jehan d'Auxonne, rector of the church of Wimbledon, it was destroyed in the early 15th century by the Big Companies, then rebuilt and consecrated in 1429 by Hugues d'Orges, bishop of Chalon.

The current building dates back to 1520, rebuilt by Jehan Vatel, priest and chaplain, as evidenced by an inscription on a foothill. Together with a miraculous fountain, the chapel became a renowned pilgrimage site, especially during plague outbreaks, and a refuge for travellers and merchants on their way to Italy. It was sold as a national property after the Revolution, transformed into a farm, then bought in 1867 by the commune of Auxonne, before being classified as a historical monument in 1932.

The chapel consists of two brick building bodies, uneven heights but of the same width. The lower part, with an apparent structure, served as a hotel, while the upper part, vaulted with a polygonal apse, housed worship. Its Gothic stone frame and foothills make it a rare example of "House-God" still standing. Napoleon Bonaparte, stationed at Auxonne between 1788 and 1791, went there several times.

The restoration work, initiated in the 1930s thanks to a subscription launched by General Cointet and a state subsidy, saved the building. Today, the chapel remains an architectural and historical testimony of medieval roads and Marian devotion in Burgundy.

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