Catégorie : Sites

In 2020 > Jingfang HAO & Lingjie WANG

The new church completed in 1869 replaced an older building (16th century). It is built on an almost traditional plan: a bell tower-porch opens onto the nave made up of a central nave and two side aisles; a polygonal apse houses the choir, the walls of which are covered with wooden paneling. All of the furniture (altars, preaching pulpit, etc.) is part of the fashion for decor and part of the religious architecture of the time which marks the triumph of the neo-Gothic style.
Externally, buttresses reinforce the aisles and punctuate the building which is imposing, especially due to its height highlighted by the polygonal spire which covers the bell tower.

GPS : 46,768580 / 6,239827

In 2020 > Pascal Broccolichi

Started in 1698, its construction was not completed until 1734. The Saint-Pierre church fits into the general scheme of the churches of Haut-Doubs, both in terms of classical architecture and that of the interior baroque decoration. The sanctuary does not have a transept, but a large nave made up of a central nave and two side aisles, opening onto the choir. The carved wood decoration combines gold and polychromy in profusion. We find, particularly in the altarpiece of the main altar, the traditional twisted columns, here with small figures and a few birds mixed with the bunches of grapes, which support an entablature ensuring the unity of the whole.
At the top of the altarpiece, God the Father, surrounded by cherubs, is sheltered under a canopy with festoons and tassels. Below the dove of the Holy Spirit, a canvas represents Christ handing over the keys to Saint Peter. On either side of this ensemble, two large statues of the Virgin and Child and Saint Joseph. We must also mention the statues of the 12 apostles which punctuate the choir and which come, according to tradition, from the ancient Church of Saint-Etienne in Pontarlier, accidentally destroyed in the 18th century. Note the imperial bell tower which covers the bell tower-porch, a roof completely characteristic of the bell towers of Haut-Doubs.

GPS : 46,872359 / 6,381461

In 2024 > Karim KAL

In 2020 > Line Marquis

The Gellin church replaced an older building deemed unsanitary in the 19th century. Built in 1843 to the plans of the architect César Auguste Pompée, this church adopts in many respects a classic type in the religious architecture of Haut-Doubs: a bell tower-porch covered with an imperial roof precedes the three bays of the nave which open onto the choir. Cylindrical columns separate the bays of the nave from the aisles.
Bays pierced in the walls of each of the aisle bays as well as in those of the apse of the choir, light the interior of the church. Cylindrical columns support the groin vaults of the three vessels and emphasize the slender appearance of the whole. All the walls are covered with paneling, old for the choir and recent for the side aisles. The walls of the apse of the side aisles are occupied by altarpieces with paintings: the Presentation of Our Lady in the temple (the name of the church) on the left and, perhaps Saint Christina of Tire on the right. A gabled roof covers the nave and the right bay of the choir, the apse having its own roof. The exterior walls are partly covered with metal protection plates installed during a recent restoration.

GPS : 46,733812 / 6,240353

In 2020 > Bob Gramsma

Near the tourist area of the Frasne peat bogs, at a place called « scierie de l’étang » (sawmill of the Pond), on the edge of the Frasne pond, on the road to Bonnevaux, stands a small chapel. It is part of a group of houses and factory buildings built around 1930 constituting the place called « hamlet of the sawmill » renamed « hamlet of the pond ».
It has been abandoned for a long time, too long according to its current owner who has undertaken its restoration. In the 1980s, it welcomed Vietnamese priests and it has become a place of artistic expression since its reopening in 2007.
It is a modest building with a rectangular plan consisting of a single nave lit by four bays and a semi-circular choir. The whole is covered by a gabled roof and topped by a small bell tower.

GPS : 46,834593 / 6,15555

In 2020 > Sebastien Strahm

This old medieval barn of Cessay was located in a pleasant setting of forest and greenery, close to the departmental road linking Champagnole to Pontarlier, on the edge of the axis which led from the abbey of Mont-Sainte-Marie to the small town of Salins. The name of Cessay appears in 1200 in a charter which attests to the existence of this barn before 1200. It was initially a simple farm building intended to store crops before becoming a farming unit. agricultural and livestock including farm buildings and a chapel. This is mentioned on a plan of the buildings of Cessay from 1651.
The current chapel was probably built after the Ten Years’ War (1635-1644) or during a plague epidemic since it was dedicated to Saint Roch, a saint invoked against the plague. With the Revolution, the entire Grange de Cessay was sold and dislocated; the chapel remains but was used for agricultural purposes until the beginning of the 20th century.
It was the subject of a cleaning project and the roof was restored on the occasion of Cessay’s 800th anniversary in 2000. It is a small rectangular building lit by a bay and covered by a gable roof pans.

GPS : 46,881092 / 6,147314

Built in 1946 at the top of a hill overlooking the village, this chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary is more of an oratory than a chapel. This small concrete building is made up of a sort of neo-Gothic canopy with a square plan open on all four sides resting on a circular base and covered by a spire. A terrace allows you to walk around it and appreciate the landscape with a 360-degree view. In the center of the dais a statue of the Virgin Mary makes up the space.
The inscription “POSUERUNT ME CUSTODEM” means “They made me guardian of this place”.

It is located in the upper part of the village of Chaffois, inside the enclosure of the old cemetery. Built between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, it underwent various repairs and transformations before being rebuilt after the fire of 1904.
Its structure consists of a bell tower-porch which opens onto a central nave and two collaterals; the whole is covered by ribbed vaults. Stained glass windows light the aisles and the choir. Here, no imperial roof for the bell tower but an octagonal spire. The facade incorporates some elements of classical architecture: pediment, columns, capitals… The interior is almost completely stripped of all ornamentation: an 18th century Christ on the cross – undoubtedly coming from the original building – represents the only sculptural element in the building.

GPS : 46,915599 / 6,269969

In 2018 > Caroline Bachmann – Chemin de croix

Tradition has it that the church of La Planée is one of the oldest in the Haut-Doubs forest.However, the first written mention of it only appears in the 14th century. And if this first building has been transformed and reworked over the centuries – the nave and the right aisle in the 17th century, the choir vault in the 16th century and the bell tower-porch in the 19th century – the current church still retains some traces of it at the level of the ribbed vaults of the nave for example.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,840628 / 6,282027

In 2024 > Jeanne TARA

In 2018 > BEN – C’est écrit dans la Bible

One cannot talk about the village of Les Pontets without mentioning the local child, “the philosopher of Pontets”, Théodore Jouffroy, born in Les Pontets in 1796. Member of Parliament for Pontarlier from 1831 to 1839, brilliant academic, he taught philosophy in the most prestigious French schools, at the Faculty of Letters in Paris, then at the École Normale and the Collège de France. Today little known, even forgotten, he was nevertheless in his time a personality recognized by his peers: Ernest Renan spoke of “the beautiful pages of this desperate philosopher” and Sainte-Beuve emphasized “intelligence to an excellent degree, intelligence in that it is broad, deep and collected, perfectly clear and clarified… by Mr. Jouffroy”. In fragile health, exhausted by his duties, he died in Paris in 1841 at 45 years of age.
The Pontets church, placed under the name of the Visitation of Notre-Dame, and located in the enclosure of the old cemetery, was built in 1845 on the site of an old chapel.
The bell tower-porch, topped by a roof with a polygonal spire flanked by four pinnacles, opens onto a nave extended by an apse choir. The four bays of the nave are separated from the aisles by columns with cylindrical shafts on which groined vaults rest. Semi-circular stained glass windows illuminate the aisles and the choir. Wooden paneling covers the walls of the choir and the aisles.
We can note the presence of interesting furniture coming partly from the old building: a Christ on the cross (17th century), a preaching pulpit of which only the panels of the tank remain, a painting of the Virgin and Child known as the Rosary, a 1850 copy of a painting by Murillo made by the painter Desaugiers, the sacristy furniture, a second Christ on the cross, two gilded wooden statues (Saint Joseph and the ‘Immaculate Conception). There is no altarpiece in the choir or on the side aisles.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,719791 / 6,172172

In 2018 > Jérôme LEUBA – Bat­tle­field 126

This small building is made up of a single nave, a gallery and a choir. A few steps and a gate separate the nave from the choir. While the nave is covered by a simple ceiling, a ribbed vault painted with historic motifs covers the choir, the walls of which are decorated with woodwork bearing numerous ex-votos.
In the choir, behind the altar, an altarpiece populated with cherubs and largely polychrome, takes up the classic architectural vocabulary. A statuette of the Virgin Mary is inserted in a niche in the central part of the altarpiece. Several statues stand in the nave and on the altarpiece.
The entire building is covered by a gable roof and a small bell tower surmounts the entrance.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,861924 / 6,391762

In 2026 > Claire HANNICQ

In 2018 > Francesco FINIZIO – 3 points, c’est tout

The Notre-Dame du Touriau (also known as Touriaux or Tourillot) chapel is situated at an altitude of 1190 meters on a small hill overlooking the village of Les Fourgs, offering a lovely view of the village and the surrounding countryside. It was built between 1923 and 1925 to fulfill a vow made by the villagers, who pledged to erect a chapel on this site if the village was spared from invasion by German troops during the First World War. The village was quite far from the front lines, and the risk was low, but the news that might reach them from soldiers engaged in this long conflict was undoubtedly alarming enough to justify this shared fear. The village was spared, and the chapel, officially inaugurated on September 8, 1925, was financed by donations and built by the villagers on the site of a small monument supporting a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, erected in 1898 under the auspices of Félix Balanche, the parish priest. It is a small, rectangular building constructed on a terrace reinforced by a stone retaining wall. The chapel is covered by a gabled roof topped, above the entrance, by a small bell tower housing the statue of the Virgin Mary from 1898. Four arched windows with stained glass illuminate the single nave. The only furnishings are pews, chairs, and a simple altar. It was restored in 2025.

GPS : 46,739577 / 6,230343

In 2018 > Ariane Epars – Monument

This chapel is a completely modest building, both in its proportions and in its decor: it consists of a single nave extended by a paneled choir. A series of paintings evoking different episodes from the life of the Virgin occupy the blind walls of the nave. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Philomena: this young woman was the subject of worship from 1805 to 1961 after the discovery of bones found in 1802 in the catacomb of Priscilla, in Rome.
An inscription “Filumena” (transcribed as Philomena) was taken for the name of the buried person, herself identified as a young virgin girl and martyr in the enthusiasm of the time without however having any historical certainty. A painting representing this young woman is attached to the bedside wall of the choir.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,789706 / 6,369870

In 2018 > Denis Savary – Fumée

Located on the side of the road and placed under the name of Saint Joseph, this church was the subject of various developments and repairs in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its plan is similar to many other churches of this period and this region: a bell tower-porch covered by an imperial roof – an architectural arrangement characteristic of this region -, on a nave with three naves extended by the choir.
Several pieces of liturgical furniture are classified as Historic Monuments, including a 17th century crucifix and the tabernacle door. On the other hand, the preaching pulpit and the communion barrier were removed during work.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,728243 / 6,246291

In 2024 > Gilles FURTWÄNGLER

In 2018 > Sylvie Auvray – Les bâtons d’Alexandre

It was not until the 17th century that Chatelblanc had its own chapel built at the initiative of the lord Pierre Blondeau and consecrated in 1665 by Antoine I de Grammont, archbishop of Besançon.
This building quickly proved too cramped to accommodate all the faithful. The chapel was enlarged at the end of the 18th century but was destroyed by a fire as well as the presbytery and several houses in 1759. Immediately restored, it was partially destroyed by a new fire in the village in 1775. It was again restored then enlarged and redeveloped in 1827.
The current church, dedicated to the Nativity of Notre-Dame, was built from 1854 to 1861 according to the plans of the architect Painchaux from Besançon who had chosen a classic Latin cross plan: a bell tower-porch opens onto a single nave with 3 bays covered by a barrel vault, a transept and a choir. The architectural decor remains faithful to the 19th century tradition by borrowing all its elements from antiquity. It houses several interesting works: a statue of Saint Alexander, a painting of the Annunciation (on the wall at the apse of the choir) and the shrine containing the relics of Saint Alexander. According to the inventory of the primitive chapel it does not seem that the current furniture elements come from the first chapel apart from the side altars, the preaching pulpit, the statues and the choir painting undoubtedly recovered in the church of the Eighteenth century.
As soon as the relics of Saint Alexandre were translated to Chatelblanc (September 29, 1684), the faithful present noted various irrational manifestations considered miraculous. Each year, the anniversary of the translation became an opportunity to organize a more or less frequent pilgrimage: 8000 people in 1784, 3000 in 1834, 5000 in 1884, 2000 in 1934.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,673250 / 6,114818

In 2018 > Jérôme Hentsch – Jalousie

Until 1445 and despite often difficult climatic conditions, the inhabitants of Chapelle-des-Bois had to go to services in Chaux-Neuve or Mouthe. Hence the decision, in 1628, to build a chapel in Chapelle-des-Bois under the name of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, whose statue welcomes the visitor upon entry.
Completed in 1639, this chapel was consecrated in 1665 by Monseigneur Antoine-Pierre I de Grammont. At the request of the inhabitants, the chapel finally became a church in 1746.
Located inside the cemetery, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was remodeled several times and a sacristy was added in the 19th century. It is quite typical of mountain churches with its massive exterior appearance further reinforced by buttresses; several small openings light this building which remains quite low.

GPS : 46,597654 / 6,114175

In 2024 > Anne FISCHER

In 2018 > Nino LAISNÉ – 3 cœurs

Until the Revolution, the inhabitants of Oye-et-Pallet depended on the parish of Saint-Etienne de Pontarlier and had to go to services in Pontarlier. It was only in 1494 that they were granted permission to build a church which nevertheless remained vicarial of Pontarlier. It is, in its current form, the result of modifications and transformations carried out over the centuries.
It is located in the upper part of the village in the enclosure which delimits the cemetery. It is made up of an 18th century bell tower (1749) covered by an imperial roof made of glazed tiles and opening onto a nave made up of a central nave, two aisles, and a choir. The first two bays of the central vessel were built at the end of the 15th century (1494) and the other two at the end of the 15th century. The third bays of the aisles were built in the 17th century and the second and fourth at the end of the 18th century. The choir is also from the 18th century (1712). The whole is covered by ribbed vaults whose arches rest on the dividing pillars between the aisles and the central nave.
The interest of this small church lies in the altarpiece of the main altar with a pediment and twisted columns around which vine branches and golden grapes wind. In the center, an unsigned painting representing the patron of the parish, Saint Nicholas, undoubtedly bishop of Myra in Anatolia. Its legend is rich in miraculous and legendary events, the best known of which is that of the three children killed and put in the salt pan by a butcher and resurrected by Saint Nicholas (the painting on the main altar).
The tabernacle of the main altar is also a very interesting work created in 1716, by François Gagelin, carpenter and wood sculptor. The woodwork of the altarpiece continues in the aisles in the form of half-height paneling.

All of the abstract stained glass windows were made in 1956 by young master glassmaker Paul Virilio on the designs of the painter Serge Rezvani.

Text by Joël GUIRAUD

GPS : 46,854445 / 6,331968

In 2026 > le FRAC avec Julien DISCRIT

In 2018 > David Boeno – La signature du soleil

The Chapel of Our Lady of Hope was built at the initiative of Father Lallemand (parish priest of Saint-Bénigne Church in the 19th century). Cholera, which appeared in the diocese in 1832, had affected several towns in the Franche-Comté region. In 1855, Levier, Boujailles, Chapelle d’Huin, and Villeneuve d’Amont were also struck. On August 20, 1854, Father Lallemand decided to organize a procession behind the statue of the Virgin Mary to seek her protection. Pontarlier had been spared. In gratitude for what he considered a benevolent act of the Virgin, Father Lallemand decided to launch a fundraising campaign for the erection of a statue of the Virgin Mary on Mont Molar, overlooking Pontarlier. Then, believing that more needed to be done, after considering the construction of an oratory, he finally committed himself to the project of a chapel where it would be possible to celebrate Mass. The architect Girod drew up the plans, and the contractor Girod carried out the work. The inauguration of the chapel (a small, neo-Gothic building with a single nave), on Thursday, May 9, 1861 (Ascension Day), was accompanied by a large display of popular piety with parades, processions, flags, banners, music, and songs. On March 1, 1862, the chapel was crowned with a statue of the Virgin and Child created by the Pontarlais sculptor Favier. This statue, struck by lightning in 2005, was replaced in 2009. On the site of this chapel, on Mount Molar, a fortified castle still existed in the 13th century. Nothing specific is known about this fortification, whose origins are undoubtedly older, since it was there that several weapons from the Early Middle Ages (5th-11th centuries) were unearthed in the 19th century. It has even been suggested that it could be a fortified structure dating from the Iron Age (750-1st century BC).

GPS : 46,739577 / 6,230343