Église Saint-Barthélémy

The church of Collonge, whose choir dates back to the 12th century, is under the title of St. Barthélémy. No church dedicated to St. Barthélémy or St. Madeleine is mentioned in the archpriesthood of Couches (except for the priory of St. Madeleine de Montartaux) in the oldest complete pouillé of the diocese of Autun, dating from the 14th century (de Charmasse, Cartulaire de l'Evêché d'Autun), which leads us to suppose that the church, existing in the 12th century, was a castral chapel. The topography of the place does not contradict this hypothesis and it is quite possible that there were two castles on the land of Collonge, that of Alibour, and another, in the town. The titles do not allow a distinction to be made. As for the site of Alibour, the motte is 750 metres south of the church, in a low-lying area, at the confluence of two streams whose combined course heads west towards the Digoine stream, a tributary of the Drée.