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Origin and history

The Cathedral of Saint-Pierre de Moutiers, located in the valley of the Tarentaise in Savoie, was originally built in the 11th century to replace an older cathedral, mentioned since 450 as part of the metropolis of Vienna. A letter from Pope Leo and a homily of Saint Avit (517-525) attest to his reconstruction by Bishop Sanctus, after a first cathedral became too small. 19th century excavations revealed a circular baptistery near the bedside, suggesting an episcopal group typical of cities like Lyon or Geneva. The Saracen incursions partially destroyed the building before its reconstruction in the 11th century, financed by the archbishop-counts of Tarentaise, which became princes of Empire in 996.

The Romanesque cathedral, built in two phases (circa 1020 for the choir, circa 1050 for the nave), today retains only its choir and its original apse. In the 15th century, Cardinal Jean d'Arces undertook Gothic transformations, including the chapel of the Innocents (1454) and structural modifications attributed to the mason François Cirgat (1461). In the 17th century, Archbishop François-Amédée Milliet de Challes adapted the building to the Tridentine reforms: suppression of the Romanesque crypt, addition of bays in the transept, and construction of a lantern dome by Louis Billot (1669-1671). A porch, destroyed during the Revolution, was rebuilt in 1864.

The French Revolution marked a dramatic turning point: in 1793 the cathedral became a Temple of Reason, and its bell towers were razed on the order of Antoine Louis Albitte, causing the collapse of the vaults in 1794. After the concordat of 1801, the bishopric of Tarentaise was restored in 1825. The restoration, led by architects Ernesto Melano and Sogno, reconstructs the nave in a classic style in the 19th century. The frescoes of the dome were entrusted to Casimir Vicario (1829), and a side chapel was added in 1882. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, the cathedral illustrates the architectural and political evolutions of Savoy, from archbishop-counts to Sardinian restorations.

Architecturally, the cathedral follows a Latin cross plan, with a four-span nave vaulted ridges, a salient transept surmounted by a dome, and a Romanesque choir apse in cul-de-four. The successive reshuffles — Romanesque, Gothic, classical and Sardinian — reflect its turbulent history, from the Sarrasine destructions to postrevolutionary reconstructions. The 19th century campanile, typical of the Sardinian style, and Vicario's frescoes testify to its adaptation to modern times.

The site, classified as a historical monument in 1906, is now owned by the state and municipality of Moutiers. His religious role evolved with the suppression of the Archdiocese in 1802, his attachment to Chambéry, and the merger of the bishoprics of Tarantoise, Maurienne and Chambéry in 1966. The cathedral remains a symbol of Savoyard heritage, mixing medieval heritage, imperial influences and contemporary restorations.

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