Montmorot: Saltworks History and Church Architecture

Montmorot brings together local history, agriculture and cycling. The Saint-Grégoire Church has a central place in the village, both architecturally and in the collective memory; the saltworks represent an earlier period of salt production. There is also a named heritage walk, seasonal fruit for picking, and the Cyclomontagnarde du Jura. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between these themes by their character: architectural history, industrial history, a seasonal offering and a cycling event.

Saint-Grégoire Church: Changes to the Nave

Saint-Grégoire Church underwent extensive alterations in the 1840s. Side aisles were added to the original single-nave church. The church consists of a façade tower with a portal, a three-aisled nave, a choir and a sacristy. A nave is the elongated main space of a church; “single-aisled” describes a main space without side aisles, while “three-aisled” means it is divided into three aisles. The change from the original to the three-aisled nave makes the renovation easy to follow: the side aisles changed the layout of the main space, while the tower, choir and sacristy are further components of the overall structure.

Saltworks: Operating Period and Salt Production

The Montmorot saltworks operated from 1744 to 1966. The original saltworks had six pans, in which salt water was heated to produce salt. The dates establish the operating period, while the pans and heating describe the specific production step. The Pont des six ponts marks the site of a gallery used to grade salt. The pans and the gallery represent different aspects of the saltworks’ history: one concerns salt production, the other a named salt-grading site.

Heritage Walk and Agriculture

The “Balade du Patrimoine de MONTMOROT” is a named heritage walk. Its title focuses on cultural heritage, distinguishing this theme from the industrial history of the saltworks.

Les Forestibles offers seasonal fruit for picking. As the offering depends on the season, check which fruits are currently available before your visit. Les Forestibles also offers tours by appointment, where you can discover the farm. The two activities have different planning requirements: the fruit-picking season matters for picking, while an appointment is required for a farm tour.

Hill and Cycling

The hill overlooks the La Vallière valley by just under 100 metres. This elevation adds a landscape connection to the architectural and industrial history. For cyclists, the Cyclomontagnarde du Jura is another specific highlight: it is a major mountain cycling tour on roads, recognized by FFVélo, and starts at the Juraparc in Montmorot–Lons-le-Saunier. Unlike the named heritage walk, it focuses on road cycling. If you want to plan your trip around the event, check the dates for the relevant edition.

Discover more destinations: Villard-Sur-Bienne, Chaux-des-Crotenay, Fort Du Plasne, Syam, Mantry, Chamblay, Nevy-lès-Dole, Prenovel

For the wider travel overview: Jura.