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Origin and history

The church Our Lady of the Assumption of the Monêtier-les-Bains finds its origins in the 9th century, founded by the Piedmontese Abbey of Novalaise to welcome travelers crossing the Col du Lautaret, strategic axis between Dauphiné and Piedmont. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the parish depended on the abbey of Brema, before a papal bubble of Benedict XI (1303) created a simple priory. The latter was linked in 1366 to the abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseilles by a bubble of Urbain V, marking its integration into the Provence monastic networks.

The present building, of late Gothic style, is built between 1457 and 1494 under the episcopate of Jean Baile, Archbishop of Embrun, whose arms adorn the vault key of the nave. The bell tower, destroyed in 1587 during the religious conflicts by the governor of Briançon, was rebuilt in 1617. The ogival vaults, the side chapels in the cradle, and the tuff arrow testify to this reconstruction campaign. In the 17th century, the interior was whitened (1643), while major restorations took place in the 19th century (1851, 1875, 1877) and 20th centuries (1901), notably on the bell tower.

Ranked a historic monument in 1913, the church combines religious functions and social role: accommodation for pilgrims, marker of local ecclesiastical power, and symbol of community resilience in the face of war and alpine weather. Its materials (tuf, bellows, cut stone) reflect local resources, while its sober decor highlights its practical use in a hostile mountain context.

The church's ecclesiastical jurisdiction evolves with the pontifical bubbles, moving from the Novalese tutelage to that of Saint Victor, illustrating medieval territorial recompositions. The Monêtier Priorate, although modest, plays a role in the spiritual and economic administration of the valley, notably through the management of the rights of passage to the Lautaret Pass, a major commercial route between France and Italy.

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