Chaux-lès-Port: History on the Saône

Chaux-lès-Port brings together a long history of settlement, agricultural architecture and connections to the Saône. If you would like to plan your stay around culture or the landscape, the church of Saint-Agnan, Grande Baume cave, the old farmhouses, and the Étang de la Velotte and the Voie bleue offer different points of interest. Buildings and landscape features offer different perspectives on the village: from early settlement periods and the layout of agricultural houses to observing nature by the river.

Church, cave and local history

The parish church of Saint-Agnan already existed in 1505. From 1763 to 1765, it was rebuilt by architects and building contractors Claude-Antoine and Charles Frin. The church preserves ten furnishings and objects that are protected as historic monuments and were listed as movable heritage in 1974 and 1994. The building’s history and the protection of its furnishings therefore belong to different periods.

Grande Baume offers a glimpse into an earlier history of settlement. It was inhabited during the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Hallstatt period and Roman era. The cave opens into a Bajocian rock ledge about ten metres above the Saône. Its large entrance faces east, towards the village. Two distinct aspects come together here: use across several periods and its location above the river.

Three crosses mark the area around Chaux-lès-Port. The stone cross east of the village dates from 1884 and bears a damaged depiction of Christ. The village’s history thus encompasses not only religious buildings and archaeological traces, but also crosses that mark the area.

Farmhouses and historic buildings

Along what is now Rue Jean-Emile Lotscher stand adjoining agricultural farmhouses dating from the late 17th century. The surviving farmsteads are arranged along three axes: living quarters, barn and stable. This three-part layout makes the agricultural function clear from the architecture: the living quarters and the areas for the barn and stable form parts of each farmstead.

Maison Rapin is one of the village’s oldest houses. The surround of a fireplace on the ground floor, now destroyed, bore a coat of arms engraved with the year 1738. Unlike the farmhouses, whose three-part layout reveals their use, Maison Rapin is notable for a single dated architectural feature.

The former presbytery also adds to the picture of the village’s architecture. Its façade has three bays; the building has one full storey and an attic storey. The central section of the façade ends in a gabled roof. Here you can see a different architectural layout from that of the farmhouses: the description focuses on the façade and its storeys, rather than the division into living quarters, barn and stable.

Saône riverbanks, nature observation and route

The Étang de la Velotte lies on the banks of the Saône and is a peaceful place to observe nature. The Voie bleue also runs along the Saône through Chaux-lès-Port, from Conflandey towards Port-sur-Saône. The two offer different experiences: the Étang is a specific place for observing nature, while the Voie bleue is a route that passes through the village in a stated direction. If you plan your trip around the landscape, you can choose between a place to observe nature and a riverside route.

Discover more destinations: Ronchamp, Vesoul, Chargey-Lès-Gray, Briaucourt, Plancher-Les-Mines, Aillevillers-Et-Lyaumont, Beulotte-Saint-Laurent, Savoyeux

For the regional travel overview: Haute-Saône.