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Origin and history

The Valentine's Church of Jalogny is a Romanesque building located in the department of Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy-Franche-Comté. It is part of the parish of Cluny-Saint-Benoît, comprising 17 villages, and was built on the remains of a first church built by the monks of Cluny in 969, then dedicated to Saint-Hilaire. In 1117 it was already a dependency of Cluny Abbey.

The bell tower, dated the 13th century, has an architectural peculiarity: it is built next to the choir and not above. Composed of two floors, it was raised in the 19th century. Its lower floor corresponds to the primitive structure, while the upper floor, more recent, has only one window in the middle of each side. The current bell, melted in 1900, replaces an old bell of 1688, cracked.

Inside the church houses remarkable furniture, including an altar dedicated to St Joseph, framed by statues of St Nicholas and St Valentine. The latter, a priest beheaded in 269 under Emperor Claude II, is associated with the legend of lovers. A mobile altar, by artist Michel Bouillot (1929-2007), bears the inscription "God is Love" and supports a statue of the Sacred Heart.

The church, still devoted to Catholic worship, depends on the diocese of Autun. It was listed in the Historical Monuments by order of 3 October 1929. The former adjoining cemetery was closed in 1905, marking an evolution in the use of sacred spaces.

The building illustrates the influence of Clunisian order in the region, with characteristic Romanesque architecture and preserved furniture heritage. Its bell tower, its medieval history and its links with Cluny make it a notable testimony of Burgundy's religious heritage.

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