Patrimoine du village de Cheignieu-la-Balme

Cheignieu-la-Balme is a charming commune thanks to its well-preserved traditional architecture: stone walls, slate roofs, exterior stone staircases, barns and outbuildings...

Cheignieu-la-Balme became a parish in 1875. The church, in neo-Gothic style, was completed in 1875. A rose window can be seen on the façade. It consists of a main altar with a marble-covered table, two secondary altars, a communion table, a Way of the Cross, a Christ on the Cross, a solid stone baptismal font, two bells, holy water fonts and various statues.

The Saint-Claude chapel was built at the beginning of the 17th century, founded by Claude du Plastre, a nurse at Nantua Abbey. It is in Gothic style with a gabled roof. It was used as a parish church until the present church was completed. This chapel was recently restored.

The commune has two ovens: one in La Balme and the other in Cheignieu. The latter was rebuilt in 1897.

The fountain at Cheignieu was built following a donation and bears a stele in memory of the donor. There is a washhouse in Cheignieu and another in La Balme.

There are two castles in the commune:
- the castle of Montville, to the north-east of the village. This beautiful building, dating from the 15th century, is the former cellar of the monks of Saint-Sulpice.
- the Eclaz castle, on the banks of the Furans, owes its origin to a tithe barn fortified in the 14th century. Its current appearance is the result of expansion work carried out in the 17th century. A Renaissance round tower can be seen. This castle is listed in the supplementary inventory of historic buildings.