Sainte Croix Church in Bailly-le-Franc

Too often reckoned to be a rustic response to Lentilles church, Bailly-le-Franc timber-frame church is worthy of reconsideration, all the more so as its recent restoration constitutes a model of sympathetic enhancement.

For this reason, the building which must date from after 1550, is one of the most charming in Der. The layout, identical almost to within a span of that in Lentilles, comprises beyond the entrance porch, a nave with four spans and side-aisles ending in a flat wall, and a five-sided choir.

The interior is extremely tasteful and perfectly proportioned. The choir is decorated with wood panelling and a large baroque altarpiece.

Thus we have a pleasant and authentic building that needs to be judged rightly, and visited before going on to Lentilles.