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St John the Baptist
is right on the northern edge of
this pretty tourist village. The
setting is stunning; sheer cliffs
rise 100m into the air on three
sides of the gorge. This is the
Cirque de Baume, and the view
from the top is even more
spectacular. The
shelter provided by the gorge
makes this the southern extremity
of the Jura vignoble, and the
little churchyard is surrounded
by vineyards. The church has done
well to survive; after the French
revolution, the great abbey
church in
the centre of the village was
redesignated the parish church,
which was how it survived.
St John the Baptist became a
funerary chapel, and it wasn't
until the 20th century that it
regained its former status.
Unusually for the
Jura, the separately built tower,
nave and chancel all survive in
pretty much their original form,
a clear case of 19th century
neglect being of benefit.
Unfortunately, neglect has also
caused some structural problems.
These are now being addressed,
but when I was here in the summer
of 2003 the church was closed to
visitors.
So I was left to
potter about staring in windows
and examining details, while my
children amused themselves
chasing lizards in the graveyard
and gorging themselves in the
vineyard beyond.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste,
Baume, is on the road north out
of the village, which is just to
the north of the D471 between
Lons and Champagnole. If
descending the road from the top,
turn right at the bottom instead
of left for the village.
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