In the Middle Ages, Vittel was divided into two domains: the little ban and the big ban. Each had its own hall, courthouse, parish, priest, and so on. After the Revolution, the city was unified at the administrative level. But old habits die hard. Residents of the little ban attended mass only at Saint-Privat, while those who lived in the big ban went to Saint-Rémy. This continued until a clever abbot in the 19th century announced that the church buildings had deteriorated and needed to be renovated. In order not to interfere with services, he decided that the churches would be renovated in turn. By inviting the faithful to worship together, the cleric was thus able to unite the two communities.
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