Gallo-Roman Temple Foundation Ier siècle (≈ 150)
Square building, likely *fanum* dedicated to Elausia.
691–889
Construction of the early church
Construction of the early church 691–889 (≈ 790)
12.5 x 6.5 m rectangle, east-west orientation.
Xe–XIe siècles
Addition of the bell tower
Addition of the bell tower Xe–XIe siècles (≈ 1150)
Reuse of Gallo-Roman stones, flat bottom.
Début XIIIe siècle
Broken cradle vault
Broken cradle vault Début XIIIe siècle (≈ 1304)
Expansion with span 3 and Romanesque windows.
Milieu XVe siècle
Last Gothic enlargement
Last Gothic enlargement Milieu XVe siècle (≈ 1550)
Travée 4 ogivale, chorus moved.
1674–1712
Baroque additions
Baroque additions 1674–1712 (≈ 1693)
Side and side hats.
Années 1840
Abandonment and de-acralization
Abandonment and de-acralization Années 1840 (≈ 1840)
Replaced by a new church.
1858–1870
Use as pottery workshop
Use as pottery workshop 1858–1870 (≈ 1864)
Partial demolition (transe, southern chapels).
Années 1930
Roof collapse
Roof collapse Années 1930 (≈ 1930)
Final withdrawal before restoration.
1990–1995
Backup and consolidation
Backup and consolidation 1990–1995 (≈ 1993)
Dejayment, works, archaeological surveys.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Julia Avita - Gallo-Roman dedicant
Daughter of Sextus, author of the dedication to Elausia.
Origin and history
The church of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens in Grésy-sur-Isère, Savoie, is an ancient Catholic church today in ruins. It is built on the foundations of a square Gallo-Roman building of the first century, probably a fanum dedicated to the indigenous god Elausia. A stone re-used in the bell tower bears a Latin inscription attesting to this ancient origin: "[I]ulia Sexti filia Avita Elausiae [ex] voto", dedication of Julia Avita, daughter of Sextus, following a vow.
The early church, dated between 691 and 889 thanks to charcoal analyses, was a rectangle of 12.5 x 6.5 m. Oriented east-west, it was enlarged in the 10th–XI century by a flat-bottomed chorus, then in the 13th century by a broken cradle vault and two Romanesque windows. A last enlargement in the 15th century added an ogival span and moved the choir, before the addition of lateral chapels (1674–82) and a false transept (1712).
Abandoned in the 1840s for a new church in the centre of the village, it was disacralized and sold. Turned into a pottery workshop (1858–70), then into a barn, it collapsed partially in the 1930s. Saved from 1990, it is now protected by a transparent metal structure and hosts concerts.
The excavations and consolidations carried out since 1995 have revealed its complex architectural evolution, combining ancient reuses and medieval transformations. The site illustrates the superposition of the epochs, from Gallo-Roman worship to Roman and Gothic art, before its modern decline. The current protection preserves this hybrid heritage, witness to nearly two millennia of religious and artisanal history.
