Tonnerre Patrimoine

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Built around the 11th century, Saint-Pierre church was almost completely burnt down by the devastating fire of 1556. Restoration work was slow in coming, and took place from the late 16th to the mid-17th century. This explains its distinctive face, a blend of Italian Renaissance and classical styles. It was during this same restoration campaign that the church's bays were adorned with grisaille panels, of which there are so few examples left in France.
The original town of Tonnerre, built on the Vieux-Châteaux plateau, had two churches: Saint-Aignan and Saint-Pierre, its branch. The latter, located on a rocky promontory, was slightly below the main town and linked to the lower town built around Notre-Dame church and the hospital. During the 12th century, these two churches were donated by the Count of Tonnerre to St Robert, abbot of Molesme and future founder of the Cîteaux order.
The destruction of the upper town and Saint-Aignan (1414) by the Duke of Burgundy's troops gave new importance to the church of Saint-Pierre, which, although burnt down, rose from the ashes and, with the disappearance of the main town, acquired a unique religious ascendancy over the Perron district.
But in 1556, the church was burnt down again in the memorable fire that consumed the town. It was not until the end of the 16th century that reconstruction work began. The fire had destroyed the framework, furniture and stained glass windows, but the gutter walls, west gable and choir remained standing. The church thus retained its medieval essence. We took advantage of this work to enlarge it.
These operations dragged on for a long time, due to a lack of generosity on the part of parishioners, as the fabrique council lamented in the 1620s, but also because the political context (wars of religion) was such that priority was given to building or consolidating defensive works. For example, the large square tower, which houses a guardhouse at the top, was completed as early as 1592.
It is estimated, however, that restoration work was completed in the last quarter of the 17th century, giving the building a very distinctive appearance. While the structure and choir are medieval, some of the furnishings and side chapels are Renaissance, while the façade and south portals are typically classical. It was at this time that the bays were decorated with grisaille panels, no doubt the work of a Trojan craftsman, and so rare today.
An organ was installed near the choir in 1610, but it was unsightly and unbalanced the visual harmony of the nave. In 1846, it was decided to move the organ to the immense west wall. Drilling two holes to secure the buffet's framework, the church's original 12th-century portal was rediscovered. It had almost certainly been filled in during the 13th or 14th centuries, when the church promontory was fortified. The western wall of the building was then integrated into the Belfort fortifications. The organ in question, commissioned in 1610 and with its elaborate case bearing the arms of the family of the Counts of Tonnerre Clermont-Tonnerre, built around 1670, is one of the last surviving examples in France.

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