Saint-Ursanne

Saint-Ursanne lies in a loop of the Doubs where the river has cut through the Jura limestone, and the town is small enough to see whole from the old stone bridge: a collegiate church, three gates, a few streets of pale houses and the cliffs above. The church is Romanesque and Gothic together, with a carved doorway and a cloister that opens off the north side. Behind it, a long flight of steps climbs the rock face to a hermitage chapel associated with the town's founder, Ursicinus, a seventh-century monk whose supposed sarcophagus is kept in the church. Below the walls, the Doubs runs slow and green, with a swimming spot and canoes in summer.

Background

Saint-Ursanne, Sïnt-Ouéchanne in Frainc-Comtou, is an old town in the district of Porrentruy in the Swiss canton of Jura that has kept much of its medieval character; since 2009 this former municipality has been part of Clos du Doubs. Among its historic buildings are a Romanesque abbey church and a collegiate church, a cloister, a hermitage, an 18th-century bridge and many medieval houses, and the Doubs bends in a loop near the town before flowing on into France. The name recalls Saint Ursicinus, a seventh-century Irish missionary and hermit who built a monastery here. The town is known for its summer medieval festival and for the St-Ursanne-Les Rangiers International Hill Climb each August, and UNWTO has named it one of the best tourism villages in the world.

Source: Wikipedia, "Saint-Ursanne"

The main sights

• The collegiate church - Romanesque and Gothic work with a carved portal and crypt.
• The cloister - the quiet arcaded courtyard beside the church.
• The hermitage steps - the long stone stairway up the cliff to the chapel in the rock.
• The old bridge - the stone river crossing with a statue standing on it.

When to go

Late spring to autumn, when the river is warm enough for swimming and canoeing and the Jura walking routes along the Doubs are dry. High summer weekends bring day visitors and fill the small car parks. The medieval festival in summer takes over the whole town for a weekend and changes the character of a visit entirely.

Before you go

It is tiny: two hours covers the church, the cloister and the streets. The station sits high above the town, so arriving by train means a steep walk down and a harder climb back. The hermitage steps are long and slippery after rain. Outside the summer season several places to eat close.

Nearby

The Doubs valley has river paths and canoe routes, and the Jura ridges rise on both sides.

Key facts