Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Pont-sur-Yonne, located in the Yonne department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is one of the first Gothic churches in France. Built between 1130 and 1140, it was consecrated in 1169 by Guillaume de Champagne, archbishop of Sens, in the presence of his sister Adelaide de Champagne, wife of Louis VII. Its architecture, with three naves and a Latin cross plan, reflects the influence of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Sens, on which it depended.

The building houses major artistic elements, such as a fresco of the Last Judgment (15th century) in the southern transept, a statue of the 13th century Virgin (Portail) who survived the wars and revolutions, and an 18th century Baroque Virgin on the high altar. Two paintings by J. Parrocel (died 1715), La Fuite en Egypt and Les Disciples d'Emmaüs, enrich his heritage. Ranked a historic monument in 1907, it now depends on the Archdiocese of Sens-Auxerre.

In the 14th century, Nicolas de Veres, bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône and native of Pont-sur-Yonne, founded a chapel in 1370, with local and parish properties (Gisy, Champigny). This monument thus illustrates both Burgundy religious history, the links between ecclesiastical power and nobility, and the preservation of a medieval and Baroque artistic heritage.

Its classification in 1907 highlights its historical and architectural value, while its location in the commune of Pont-sur-Yonne (code Insee 89309) makes it a key witness of primitive Gothic in France. The traces of original paintings on the statue of the 13th century Virgin and the quality of frescoes confirm its importance in regional sacred art.

External links