église des Jésuites de Salins-les-Bains

The Jesuit Church of Salins-les-Bains (French: église des Jésuites de Salins-les-Bains) is an eighteenth-century church standing in Salins-les-Bains, a small town in the Jura department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Built in 1701, the church is one of the clearest surviving witnesses to the turbulent history of the religious orders that settled in this town, long famous for its salt works.

How did the Jesuits come to Salins-les-Bains?

The Jesuits first arrived in Salins in 1623, settling on the site of the former Charity hospice (hospice de la Charité). Made prosperous by salt production and the wine trade, the town attracted numerous religious congregations looking for a base from which to carry out pastoral and educational work. The Jesuits had already been running their own college in Salins since 1642, and the church built in 1701 was only one part of a much larger monastic complex, the so-called Jesuit House, which also included an important novitiate.

What happened when the Jesuits left the town?

The fate of the complex changed dramatically once the Jesuit order was banned in France under Louis XV. As a result, in 1767 the entire property was handed over to the Oratorians, who set up a new college in the buildings to replace the earlier institution run by the Jesuits. This kind of transfer, in which one religious congregation took over the assets of another, was a common pattern of the period and allowed the site's educational role to continue uninterrupted.

How did the French Revolution change the building's fate?

The French Revolution brought another turning point. The property of religious orders was confiscated by the state, and the church itself was deconsecrated in line with the era's policy toward church institutions. From that moment the building lost its original religious function for decades and entered a long period of secular use, a pattern shared by many former monastic buildings across France at the time.

What role did the building play in the nineteenth century?

In 1835, the former monastic premises housed the first École normale, or teacher training school, of the Jura department. Twenty years later, in 1855, the interior of the church itself was physically split into two levels by inserting a floor roughly halfway up the height of the nave. This alteration made it possible to install the town's municipal library on the ground floor, while the upper section retained something of the building's original tall volume.

What can be found in the former Jesuit complex today?

Today, part of the former Jesuit college building serves as public housing (HLM), marking the latest stage in the site's centuries-long history of adaptation to the changing needs of the town — from monastery, to school and library, to present-day housing.

Where exactly is the church located?

The building stands in the town of Salins-les-Bains itself, in the Jura department, at geographic coordinates 46.93906 N, 5.87872 E. The town is best known for its historic salt works, and the former Jesuit complex is one element of the rich historic fabric of its old town center.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Jesuit church in Salins-les-Bains built? The church was built in 1701 as part of a larger Jesuit monastic complex; the Jesuits themselves had been present in the town since 1623.

Why did the Jesuits leave Salins-les-Bains? The Jesuit order was banned in France under Louis XV, and as a result the buildings were transferred to the Oratorians in 1767.

Is the church still used for religious worship? No. The church was deconsecrated during the French Revolution and has since been repurposed several times, serving at different points as part of a teacher training school and as the town's municipal library.

What is the building used for today? Part of the former Jesuit complex is now used as public housing (HLM), the latest chapter in the site's long history of reuse.