Post 7. Ruins of the Old Oratory

This oratory was built at this location to allow people who were coming up the mountain to be under divine protection, before crossing the Petits Pontis, and for those that came down to ask to be spared from the attacks of robbers in Finges

It is not clear to which saint the oratory was originally dedicated. Saint-Thomas Aquinas is cited as a possibility, but also, according to the old inhabitants of Niouc, Saint-Lou or Saint Leu, Bishop of Troyes.

Abandoned in the early twentieth century, the oratory gradually fell into disrepair. In 1935, the owner of the land used the building to tie up his cattle. The oratory still had its walls, and a roof, that was not original, made of simple logs covered with sheet metal. In the 1950s, the roof was removed and the walls deteriorated more and more, because of the weather.

As you approach the fence at the edge of the field, you see the suspension bridge, described in the “Suggested Visits.”

>Next post
To reach the last location of the historical visit of Niouc, go back along the paved road to Beauregard, until the passage of the bisse(irrigation canal) under the road and take the dirt road on the left that leads to the drinking water reservoirs. Follow the road another 100 meters and then take the path on the left to reach the bisse(plenum). In winter, this route may not be accessible depending on snow conditions..