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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

St. Martin's Basilica, located in the commune of Aime-la-Plagne (Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is an ancient Prioral Church dedicated to Martin de Tours. Built in the 11th century in Lombard Romanesque style, it is based on the remains of a Roman civil basilica of the 2nd century and a 7th century primitive church, discovered during archaeological excavations conducted between 1868 and 1877 by Étienne-Louis Borrel. These discoveries reveal the strategic importance of the site, once crossed by the Roman way Alpis Graia, connecting Milan to Vienna by the Pass of Petit-Saint-Bernard. Aime, capital of the Ceutrons and then Claudi Centronum Forum under the Roman Empire, retained a central role thanks to this commercial and military route.

The present building, classified as a historic monument in 1875, has a six-span uns arched nave and a tripartite bedside, initially flanked by two bell towers destroyed in 1794 during the French revolutionary occupation. Only one of them was rebuilt. The choir and its surroundings house frescoes of the 12th–13th centuries, rediscovered after being covered with plaster in 1696. These partially damaged paintings represent biblical scenes such as the Creation or the Innocent Massacre. The basilica, dependent on the abbey of Saint-Michel-de-la-Cluse (Val de Suse), also served as a burial place for the Viscounts of Tarentaise of the Briançon family.

Disused of worship, the basilica now hosts a museum space. Its history reflects the transitions between Roman antiquity, the Christian Middle Ages and modern times, marked by the beginning (from the 15th century) and revolutionary upheavals. The excavations also revealed a square crypt (7.95 m × 7.50 m), a witness of the successive strata of occupation of the site. The property of the building, formerly state, was transferred to the municipality of Aime-la-Plagne in 2009.

The monument illustrates Savoyard religious architecture, between Lombard heritage and local influences, while at the same time testifying to the past influence of Love, a historic crossroads between the Tarentaise and the Alps. Its early classification (1875) underscores its heritage value, both for its ancient remains and for its medieval decorations, now protected and studied.

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