Church of St. John

In the Middle Ages there was only one parish in the commune: that of Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, grouped around its church and its village, and with a few hamlets scattered in the countryside which were attached to it. Among these hamlets, one took the name of the Saint-Jean priory: this is how the town of Saint-Jean was built around a priory.
The existence of this building is explained by the presence of monks who founded a Benedictine building in the XNUMXth century: the priory of "Saint-Jean-sur-Saint-Maurice" which depended on the Sacred Abbey of Saint-Michel in Piedmont. in Italy, on the heights of Suze.
Like all convent buildings, this priory was built on a high site. The building of imposing proportions crowns the top of a hill overlooking a vast panorama of the Monts de la Madeleine, Beaujolais and Charolais. Until the XNUMXth century, the priory was administered by a prior appointed by the mother abbey. He enjoyed feudal rights, middle and low justice on the tenants dependent on the priory, he received the tithe on the parish of Saint-Maurice, on part of the parishes of Villemontais and Cordelle. It was also the monks of Saint-Jean who founded and then served the first church of Cordelle, the ruins of which can be seen in Chevenay (a hamlet near Joeuvres).

Today, only the porch and the XNUMXth century bell tower remain of this priory; the conventual buildings were destroyed like many buildings during the Revolution.

The current building was built in 1872 on the remains of the priory according to the plans of the architect Bonnard. Its ground floor opens onto a beautiful pointed arch door without lintel or tympanum surrounded by three arches. Above, we can see a small semicircular bay, then four semicircular openings too, but partially walled up. The whole was undoubtedly part of a steeple wall with arches, as we see others in the region. It was probably much later that we built a front storey above the bays, a little behind, as well as 3 other walls. The steeple wall has been transformed into a monumental looking belfry. In its upper part, this belfry is pierced with high bays to the east and west and only one on the other sides. The whole has a low 4-sided roof.

The interior of the church:
Massive and stocky in appearance, the plan of the church is articulated around three naves and a transept whose arms end in a three-sided wall. The building has kept its old diamond-tiled paving. The tall and elegant glass roofs were designed by the glass painter Pagnon. The polygonal choir has two canvases by artist G. Salza: a Nativity and a Last Supper.
The Forézian sculptor Jean-Marie Bonnassieux (1810-1892) made two statues in white limestone which adorn the side altars dedicated to them: one representing the Virgin (dating from 1882), the other Saint-Jean-Baptiste. This artist has designed many statues in the region, the most famous of which is undoubtedly that of "Notre Dame de France" made in 1860 and which dominates the town of Puy-en-Velay from its height of 22 m.

Text extracted from the website www.les-amis-42155.com with the authorization of the association "Les Amis de St-Jean-St-Maurice-sur-Loire".

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• On the way to Santiago de Compostela

• Average duration of the individual visit: 30 min

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Group adults: 3 €
Group children: 3 €
On reservation 3 weeks in advance for groups

Free. Free tour
Guided tour By reservation:
Group adults: 3 €
Group children: 3 €
On reservation 3 weeks in advance for groups.

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