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Origin and history

The priory Saint-Germain de Faucon is a religious site whose origins date back to a Gallo-Roman villa abandoned in the fourth century. In the Middle Ages, the place was first used as a necropolis before a small monastery was established in the 11th century. The ruins of the villa were re-used to build a first church with a single nave, functional until the year thousand. The acquisition of the site by the abbey of Saint-Philibert de Tournus, confirmed in 1119 by a papal bubble of Calixte II, marked the construction of a new church, more robust but preserving the original plan. Archaeological excavations, carried out since 1989, revealed these successive strata, including a primitive church backed by the ancient walls of the funeral enclosure.

In the 11th century, residential buildings were added to the southeast of the church, bounded by a fence. The priory, sold as a national property in 1792, became a private property. Its church, built on the side of the hill 250 metres from the brook du Gournier, was transformed into a dwelling in the 18th century, while preserving its exterior volumes, vaults and a tower overlooking it. Archaeological remains, including the medieval necropolis and Gallo-Roman foundations, have been protected since the site was listed for historical monuments in 1992.

The medieval estate, poorly known in its original extent, probably extended around the valley of the Gournier and the village of Faucon, as suggested by the inventory of 1792. The second church, slightly enlarged in relation to the first, included two side chapels. Its rectangular bedside was backed by the ancient walls of the funeral enclosure, while medieval burials were located outside the early nave. The modifications of the 18th century, though profound, partially respected the original structure, testifying to its architectural evolution over nearly seven centuries.

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