Rahon offers several distinct points of interest for a culture-focused stay: a chapel with local history, a church with Renaissance art and an artificial lake in a wooded hollow. The religious buildings reveal architectural and pilgrimage history, while the lake is notable for its location in the hollow and the stream that feeds it, the Bief Madame. A cycling route should be considered separately as an independent travel option.
Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois: construction history and pilgrimage
The Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois is also known as the Chapelle des Affligés. It is located at the entrance to the forest between Rahon and Villers-Robert, on the road to Le Deschaux. Its location thus marks a specific point between the two places and at the forest entrance. The chapel was built in 1745 by Philippe-François Billot, the parish priest of Rahon, on the site of an older chapel. This means that two periods of history meet here: the 18th-century building and the older chapel that preceded it.
The Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois was associated with numerous pilgrimages. Until recent years, a procession took place on 15 August, the patronal feast day, from the village church to the chapel. If you are planning a trip specifically for 15 August, check in advance whether a procession will take place on that date.
Renaissance art at Eglise Notre Dame
Eglise Notre Dame de Rahon offers a distinct art-historical highlight. It is listed as a historic monument and contains a 16th-century Renaissance chapel with sculptures and painted panels. The church thus combines official heritage status with a specific feature inside: the chapel and its pictorial decoration.
Together, the two religious buildings—the Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois and Eglise Notre Dame—form a cultural and historical focal point, but they relate to different periods. The Renaissance chapel dates to the 16th century; the Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois was built in 1745 on the site of an even older predecessor. Those interested in religious architecture can thus distinguish between two different chapters in the history of the area.
A lake in a wooded hollow
The artificial lake in a wooded hollow adds a landscape feature to the area’s architectural history. It is fed by the small stream Bief Madame. The contrast between Rahon’s points of interest is clear: the chapel and church focus on architectural history and art, while the lake is defined by its setting in the hollow and its named feeder stream.
The Voie de la Bresse Jurassienne as a cycling route
The Voie de la Bresse Jurassienne offers an option for a separate cycling trip. It connects EuroVelo 6 near Dole with the Voie Bressane towards Louhans and Chalon-sur-Saône near Courlans. The route follows the track of a former railway; most of it has been developed as a protected voie verte for cyclists. Both the connections and the route’s former use as a railway line can help guide your planning.
The Voie is a linear cycling route, making it different in nature from Rahon’s individual architectural and artistic highlights. If you choose it as the main focus of your trip, you can plan around the route connections mentioned above. For a stay focused on cultural history, by contrast, Rahon’s themes are the Chapelle Miraculeuse des Bois, Eglise Notre Dame and the lake in the wooded hollow.
Discover more destinations: Hautecour, Villard-Saint-Sauveur, Les Bouchoux, Château-Chalon, Les Planches En Montagne, Grande-Rivière, Souvans, Foucherans
For the broader travel overview: Jura.
