Part of Les Loges, Grosse-Sauve (from the Latin Grossa Sylva, meaning large forest) is a place steeped in history and legend. Situated in a clearing in the Bussières-lès-Belmont state forest, it was once a Roman trading post (mansio) on the road between Langres and Besançon. Destroyed during the invasions, the site was reborn in the time of Charlemagne as a hospital run by monks. The buildings were enlarged and restored in the 12th century to accommodate the many pilgrims on their way to Rome and Jerusalem. The site became a priory when it was sold as national property during the French Revolution.
In 1757, the Gothic church was destroyed, with the exception of the choir and a 12th-century bay.
Legend has it that in this clearing, the devil, "le Foulletot", came down from the Cognelot every seven years to dance beside an old tree, "le Chêne Macabré", which had the particularity of having branches tied into crowns.
Private site visible from the road.
Chapelle Saint-Nicolas-de-Grosse-Sauve de Les Loges
