Eglise de Colombier - Comberjon

The church of Colombier is surprising. Its bell tower, which overhangs a very open porch, has a singular character in the landscape that raises questions. The 13th and 14th century gothic building, with the choir facing east, surrounded by its cemetery, was first extended at the end of the 16th century. A new extension from 1853 completely overturned its typology by turning it 180° to present its portal towards the village, turning its back on the medieval core and the Château de la Roche.

If the church is placed under the invocation of the "twin saints" martyrs: Spéosippe, Éléosippe and Méléosippe, since its reconstruction in 1853, the votive feast of Colombier is fixed on January 17th in memory of Saint Antoine the Great, former patron saint of the parish whose relics are preserved (the relics of the twin saints were stolen around 2005)
When you approach the building you discover an open porch with three gothic bays from the 14th century, then you enter the church through a 16th century portal which introduces you under the 13th century bell tower and finally you discover a vast space with three naves of almost the same height as a church-hall.

The cemetery was moved outside the village in 1843 to allow for this extension. This important change in the building is characterized first of all by the choice of the Gothic style in coherence with the original part, by the abandonment of the orientation of the choir towards the East in order to privilege the opening to the village, and finally, for economic reasons, by the technical solution of a wooden structure covered with plaster for the arches and the vaults. It should be added that this light structure allows a generous space and a great sobriety of the building outside (absence of buttresses), by an abundant light which spreads in the three widely opened naves.

Concerning the furniture, the church has preserved a set of relatively well-preserved 17th century altarpieces and quality statues. The fittings and painting carried out in the 1960s deserve to be restored to their former glory.

For the site, the elevation of the belfry tower and the quality of the proportions of the spire stand out in the view that embraces the landscape. The church is a pivotal point in the ensemble of the masses that surround it. The village occupies a remarkable backdrop with the presence of the Château de la Roche and its park in resonance with the Héry property which dominates the town centre with the Durgeon meadow in the foreground, bordered by a continuity of trees of willow, poplar and alder species.

The building was listed as a historical monument in 2017.