13. Cosne-sur-Loire in Bonny-sur-Loire

The Cistercian abbey Notre-Dame des Roches was founded in the 12th century by the monks of Pontigny (Yonne) in the commune of Myennes. During the wars of religion the abbey was destroyed by Protestant troops at the end of the 16th century. Remains (private domain) from the 18th century can be seen in the hamlet of Les Roches situated 2 km from the church of Myennes by taking the D 955.
The church of Saint-Martin de Myennes dates from the time of the foundation of the abbey was probably the parish church of the commune on the banks of the Loire and administered by the monks of Notre-Dame des Roches. Its Romanesque style is confirmed by the chevet. The building was enlarged in the 15th century with the extension of the nave, then in the 19th century a new bell tower was installed.

During the High Middle Ages an oratory dedicated to Saint-Rémi would have given the name of the commune, La Celle Saint-Rémy. The presence of a port on the Loire in the Middle Ages generated commercial activity.
The first Saint-Hilaire church dates from the 12th century probably under the influence of the Cistercian monastery of Notre-Dame des Roches. The building was transformed in the 16th and 17th centuries. The changes in the volume of the building are visible in the nave. The interior of the church is sober with a carved stone altar.

Situated 600 metres from Via Columbani, before the footbridge that crosses the Vrille turn right into Rue du Port au Bois, left into Rue Jean Jaurès, first right into Rue Marceau.
Like many churches in the Loire Valley, the Saint-Laurent church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.
This rather disproportionate edifice underwent important modifications in the 16th century. The church has a four-bay nave, a two-bay flat chevet choir and two chapels. The seigneurial chapel, to the north of the choir, originally dedicated to Saint Claude and then to Saint Hubert, is thought to date from the 17th century. As for the chapel of the Virgin Mary, to the south of the nave, it was built in the last years of the 16th or at the very beginning of the 17th century. The square tower adjoining the church, north of the entrance portal, was partly destroyed on November 3, 1793. In 1901, a new bell tower was built on the base of the square courtyard.

During the Merovingian period, Aunaire, Bishop of Auxerre, distributed relics of St Peter and St Paul to the new churches of his diocese, including Bonny who did not yet have this spelling. The priory is leaning against the church and depends on Charité sur Loire in 1107. The church and the priory suffered serious damage during the wars of religion.
The priory with the church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul will be dispersed in lots during the Revolution.
Listed as a Historic Monument, the church of Saint-Aignan bears witness to the prestigious past of Bonny-sur-Loire, a fortified town with a priory, a place where several kings of France passed through and where Loire bargemen stayed to taste the already famous local wine. The building dates from the 12th century. The bell tower, the two choir bays and the chevet are from the 15th century. The vaulted chapel with a cross vault is from the 16th century. The nave with four bays and aisles and the portal "of the dignitaries" dating from 1543 offering a remarkable architecture of "Italian Renaissance" style.