Sainte-Euphémie brings together architectural history, religious art and hiking trails, offering different reasons to visit. The parish church with its mural, the Croix du Machard and the Tour du Boujard each lead to a distinct local theme; the Circuit d’Ars adds a named hiking route to the options. If you are looking for accommodation for your stay, you can first decide what you would like to focus on: would you mainly like to discover architectural and art history, or plan a hike?

Parish church: architectural history and iconography

The present-day Sainte-Euphémie parish church was built in 1874 and 1875 by Lyon architect Jean-Marie Thoubillon; some of the materials from the earlier church were reused. As a result, two historical layers meet in one building: the 19th-century construction and materials from its predecessor. The church stands on a landscaped terrace above the town centre and faces south rather than west. Inside is a large mural on a gold mosaic background. It depicts Christ, the twelve apostles and twelve saints or martyrs. The groups of figures make the iconography another aspect of the church, alongside its architecture and location: the construction date and history of its materials sit alongside the religious motifs depicted here.

Tour du Boujard and Croix du Machard

The Tour du Boujard offers a different approach to cultural history from the church. It inspired the painter Maurice Utrillo, who depicted it in a gouache on paper in September 1929. At the same time, the Tour du Boujard appears on the coat of arms of the municipality of Sainte-Euphémie. The same tower is thus linked to a dated work of art and the municipal emblem. These are two distinct points of reference in local cultural history: Utrillo’s depiction is tied to a specific work and month, while the coat of arms presents the tower as a symbol of the municipality.

At the Croix du Machard, the artwork and its location are closely connected. The cross stands beside the departmental road CD 88, at the entrance to an unpaved track leading to the hamlet of Roussillon. On the front, Christ is depicted on the cross with a titulus plaque above him; on the back is the Virgin and Child. The two sides therefore show different religious motifs. The Croix probably dates from the second half of the 17th century.

Estate and hiking trails

The Château du Boujard estate includes a park, a chapel, a dovecote, a farm and a well. Here, the term estate refers to several different features rather than a single building. This perspective on a group of different elements adds another facet of the heritage alongside the individual church and sculptural works.

Sainte-Euphémie has hiking trails and a natural and cultural heritage suited to local tourism. The Circuit d’Ars circular hiking trail takes walkers towards Les Bruyères de Sainte-Euphémie and then onward towards Le Baderand and Trévoux. These directions provide a concrete point of reference if you choose to make hiking the focus of your stay. Check the signs and access before setting out. Alongside the history of buildings and artworks, a named hiking route is another distinct aspect of the trip to choose from.

Discover more destinations: Journans, Dagneux, Artemare, Hotonnes, Ramasse, Curciat-Dongalon, Chazey-sur-Ain, Pont-De-Vaux

For the broader travel overview: Ain.