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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Lancharre, located in the hamlet of Lancharre near Chapaize (Saône-et-Loire), is a 12th century Romanesque building. It belonged to an abbey founded in the 11th century by the lords of Brancion for noble canonesses, now Benedictine. These nuns, nicknamed "The Lady of Lancharre", lived in individual houses around the monastery. The abbey also controlled the priory of Puley, who lost his autonomy in 1615 under Bishop Cyrus of Tyard.

In 1626, Abbess Marie du Blé transferred the nuns to Chalon-sur-Saône, leaving the church as a simple parish. Under Louis XIV Lancharre became a royal abbey, protected by the king. Between 1611 and 1789, nine abbesses succeeded each other, the last appointed by Louis XVI in May 1789. The Revolution ended the abbey: in November 1789, the 26 nuns were secularized, and in 1791 his goods were sold.

The Romanesque architecture of the church, partially ruined, is distinguished by its bedside with three semicircular apses adorned with archatures, and a decentralized bell tower of the 12th century, pierced by geminated bays. The nave, demolished around 1850, gave way to a facade with three walled ogival bays. Inside, five classified funeral slabs (1899) recall priors and benefactors, such as Marguerite de Germolles (†1302), known as the Great Abbesse.

Ranked a historic monument in 1930, the church benefited from major restorations: consolidation of the foothills (circa 1980), renovation of the roofs (2004–2009), and installation of contemporary stained glass windows by Jean-Marie Géron (2011–2012). An interior renovation (2017–2018, €400,000) allowed its inauguration on September 1, 2018. The Association of Friends of the Churches of Chapaize, founded in 1969, played a key role in this work.

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