Dominated by the castle of the Lords of Vignory, Saint-Étienne church was built at the very beginning of the 11th century by Gui I de Vignory and consecrated around 1050 by his son Roger I. Roger I appropriated the lands of Vignory, which had been owned by the Luxeuil abbey since Charlemagne (768-814), and donated the new church to Saint Bénigne de Dijon.
With its roof frame, now visible, its 3-level nave including a triforium with capitals featuring primitive sculpture, and its ambulatory choir, Saint-Etienne's church is an important example of pre-Romanesque architecture in France.
The bell tower was built in the mid-12th century and the side chapels between the 14th and 16th centuries. The side chapels are home to a large number of medieval statues, including several from the 15th-century sculpture workshop known as "de Vignory-Joinville", as well as 14th- and 15th-century funerary slabs.
The tabernacle and pulpit, attributed to Jean-Baptiste Bouchardon, enrich Saint-Etienne's church with works from the 18th century.
Listed as a Historic Monument in 1846, it was restored between 1844 and 1860 at the suggestion of Prosper Mérimée.
It is part of the Vignory Heritage Discovery Trail, created in 2008.
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Eglise Saint-Etienne de Vignory
