The church of Musseau, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was a branch of Chalancey. In 1256, the lord of Boussenois ceded the Musseau tithes to Auberive Abbey. Legend has it that a ploughman discovered the statue of Saint Peter buried in his field on the border between Chalancey, Mouilleron and Musseau. Each community tried in vain in turn to take it to its church, but in the end it was a poor peasant from Musseau with his old horse who took it to the church of Musseau, thereby offering the title of the parish to Saint Peter. In 2009, this legend was depicted on a painting in the wash-house by an artist from Musseau.
Around 1629, the church in Musseau was established as a curial parish, with Chalmessin as its branch, and served Mouilleron, which had never had a church. This situation lasted until 1773, when the inhabitants of Mouilleron built a chapel dedicated to Saint Gilbert for their own use, and their chapel, now a parish church, also became a branch of Musseau, with its own cemetery.
In 1715, the entire parish of Musseau was united to the jurisdiction of Burgundy, with the exception of the church and the rectory (confirmed by a ruling of the Parliament of Paris in 1741).
The church at Musseau, most of which dates from the 13th century (choir and seigneurial chapel to the north), was partly rebuilt in 1642 by Pierre Duval, the local lord, after the disasters of the Thirty Years' War. This benefactor was buried here in 1666. The nave bays were probably enlarged in the 18th century.
At the end of the French Revolution, Musseau church was in a sorry state. By 1829, the church's plank ceiling had fallen in, and parishioners were no longer able to attend services. However, the commune did not have the means to meet a repair estimate of 1,200 francs without cutting down a few trees in advance. The work was completed on 20 September by two brothers, Nicolas and François Poutot and their brother-in-law Nicolas Baillet, all from Musseau.
In 1870, there was still work to be carried out on the church and presbytery for a total of 2,700 francs. However, in view of the commune's limited finances, the prefect only authorised repairs to the bell tower "which was in a very poor state of repair" for 1764 francs, which would be rebuilt according to plans by the architect Godard from Langres.
In the spring of 1881, the commune carried out further work on the church, bell tower and presbytery for a total of 5,000 francs, based on plans by Mr Baillet, a building contractor from Musseau. A final restoration of the bell tower was carried out by the commune in 2016.
In 2011, the wall at the top of the cemetery, which had collapsed, was completely rebuilt by local volunteers from the "Vals des Tilles Patrimoine" association.
Finally, one of the last monuments to the Great War dead in the Haute-Marne was erected below the cemetery in 2012 by the Vals des Tilles Patrimoine association.
The 2 bays of the choir and the chapel attached to it on the north side can be dated back to the 13th century (although the vault in the 2nd bay can be dated back to 1649 and the bays were apparently enlarged in the 18th century). The nave may be contemporary, but it has undergone a great deal of subsequent alteration, making it difficult to date. The bell tower also dates from the 13th century. The name of Pierre Duval can be found on a tombstone in the side chapel (he died in 1666), on the commemorative plaque in the same chapel, as well as the name Duval on the choir vault (with coat of arms and the date 1649) and the same coat of arms painted above the west door (under the porch). The two bays of the choir and the adjoining chapel have been listed on the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques since 15 January 1929.
Eglise Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul de Musseau
