Saint-Ursanne - Collegiate Church

Saint-Ursanne is named after Ursicinus, an iro-scottish disciple of famous St. Kolumban, the missionary of Bavaria. Ursinicus lived as a hermit here in the valley of the Doubs. After Ursinicus´ death, St. Wandrille (aka Wandregisel) founded a convent at his tomb. This was recorded first time in 849 as "..cella in honorem Sancti Ursicini.." The convent probably merged in a newly founded Benedictian abbey within the 11th century, that a century later was converted to a collegiate of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel.

The collegiate church was erected 1200/1400 and integrates some parts of the former abbey church. The structure got severely damaged by the Basel earthquake of 1356. The tower collapsed. It took about a century to repair the ruined church.

The collegiate got secularised in 1803, when the village belonged to France. Since the Congress of Vienna the area is part of Canton of Bern - and the former collegiate church now is the parish church of the town.

The southern portal, erected around 1200, is clearly inspired by the iconography of Basel Cathedral´s Gallus Pforte (60kms) and the portal of the Nikolaus-chapel inside the Freiburg Muenster (120kms).

I had seen a photo of these three capitals on the right side of the portal. These capitals let me do the detour to Switzerland.

To the left eagles, not very unique. In the center a breastfeeding mermaid (with legs!). She is flanked by two maids, a fish is whispering into her ear. To the right a "wolf´s school", where a monk teaches an uninterested wolf to read. These two icons are very rare - and have parallels in Basel and Freiburg. I will upload a close up of the mernmaid next.