The church of Saint-Claude in Ternat is a large and beautiful church with elegant architecture. Originally a simple chapel built in 1539, it was rebuilt in 1777 by the local Seigneur. Two years later, the parish register records the christening of its two bells. During the Revolution, one of the church's two bells was removed, along with a rich chalice. The church also lost its title of parish and therefore its priest, who resided in the village.
In 1821, the town council requested authorisation to sell spare wood to cover the costs incurred by the dilapidated state of the building. This was followed by a period of extensive work in 1822, 1829 and 1835.
Finally, in 1862, it was decided to rebuild the church, with the exception of the base of the bell tower (which is why the nave, in the ogival style, is different from the style of the portal). After the addition of the sacristy, a new altar, pews and vestments, and the purchase of a new bell from Breuvannes, the church was finally inaugurated in 1865.
After numerous requests from the municipality, the church was made a branch of St-Loup by decree of the President of the Republic on 20 July 1874. This gave the commune back its resident priest, appointed in 1875 in the person of Abbé Alix Villeminot, who served for 32 years (he died in Ternat and was not replaced).
In 1989, the electrification of the bells was financed, despite modest resources, by the former bell ringer, so that after her, the bells would not remain silent. |Today, the church at Ternat has a three-vessel nave with four bays, the tower-porch crowned by a polygonal zinc-roofed spire, a choir consisting of a straight bay followed by a three-sided apse, the whole covered by a six-quarter rib vault.
Eglise Saint-Claude de Ternat
