A pagan temple destroyed by Saint Martin has been suggested as having stood on this site, a hypothesis associated with the discovery of Roman remains in the surrounding area. After a period of abandonment, the site was inhabited again between the 5th and 7th centuries, as evidenced by archaeological research, which has brought to light numerous artefacts from that period. A place of worship was also established there.
The existence of the monastery of Saint-Martin de Mesvres is documented from at least 815, as shown by a charter issued by Charles the Bald in 843, confirming a charter of Louis the Pious (778–840) dating from that earlier year. However, its monastic origins may be earlier. Later, the priory was linked to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Flavigny (Côte-d’Or). Its prior, Raino, is mentioned in the first half of the 10th century. In 994, it came under Cluniac influence following a donation made that year by Walterus, Bishop of Autun, to Abbot Odilo of Cluny (c. 962–1048), while reserving the right to appoint the priors. The arrival of the Cluniacs prompted the construction of new buildings.
During the second half of the 14th century, the priory suffered the effects of the Hundred Years’ War and incursions by mercenaries (routiers), who ravaged the region and contributed to its decline. It was still suffering the consequences in the first half of the 15th century. In 1470, Antoine de Chalon († 1500) was prior and became the first commendatory prior. By the 17th century, the complex was in a state of deep decline. In 1628, much of the cloister was demolished and its materials sold. Visits made at the time record the poor state of repair of the priory buildings. It experienced a degree of revival in the 18th century, when some buildings were restored and part of the church nave was converted into a farm.
Finally, in 1791, the priory was suppressed during the Revolution, and the site was put to agricultural use. A notable group of buildings survives, although only a few remains of the church and part of the prior’s house are preserved. The cloister has been lost, and the bell tower collapsed in 1836. In recent years, the site has been the subject of archaeological investigations.
Autun, Bibliothèque de la Société Éduenne, album 7 (cl. W. Berry)
- BALCON-BERRY, Sylvie (2011). Les recherches sur l’ancien prieuré de Mesvres (Saône-et-Loire). Bulletin du centre d’études médiévales d’Auxerre
- BALCON-BERRY, Sylvie (2016). L’ancien prieuré Saint-Martin de Mesvres (Saône-et-Loire). Bulletin du centre d’études médiévales d’Auxerre
- BALCON-BERRY, Sylvie (2025). Le site de l’ancien prieuré de Mesvres (Saône-et-Loire) à l’Antiquité tardive et au haut Moyen Âge. Bulletin du centre d’études médiévales d’Auxerre
- BALCON-BERRY, Sylvie i Walter BERRY (2009). L’ancien prieuré Saint-Martin de Mesvres (Saône-et-Loire). Bulletin du centre d’études médiévales d’Auxerre
- CHARMASSE, Anatole (1877). Annales historiques du prieuré de Mesvres en Bourgogne et de ses dépendances. Autun: Dejussieu
Mesvres is located south of Autun