Eglise de l'Immaculée Conception

The present church at Virey-le-Grand was built to replace an old medieval Romanesque church, dedicated to Saint Peter in Chains, which had become too dilapidated and cramped to accommodate the congregation from across the parish. Plans for the reconstruction had been under consideration since the 1820s, and work began in the 1850s, with the bell tower being demolished in 1851 to make way for the construction of a completely new church in 1859. The departmental architect, André Berthier, had it built in the Neo-Romanesque style. The building, in the shape of a Latin cross, was completed in 1860. The church is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, as indicated by the inscription on the tympanum (Deiparae Immaculatae) and the bronze statue on the forecourt. Curiously, the bell tower and porch face east and, consequently, the chancel is ‘oriented’ towards the west. A nave with three bays opens onto a projecting transept. The high altar, carved from stone, is adorned with two adoring angels. The chancel and its dome are richly painted. Some of the stained-glass windows were donated by Antoine Benoit, a judge in Chalon who sometimes resided in the village. His wife, Marie-Joséphine Chandelux, sponsored one of the two bells.