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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Chavannex, located in Sciez in Haute-Savoie, finds its origins in the 13th century, when the Augustinian canons of the Abbey of Filly implanted. It was modest in size and was built in a mosse, with a roof of tiles and a Romanesque door. It became a parish church in 1390, marking its local importance.

In 1443, a parish visit by the Vicar-General of Geneva required work: construction of a new choir (completed in 1471), repairs to the walls, and addition of a niche for the Eucharist. These changes expanded the building, reflecting its central role in religious life.

The Bernese Reformation (1536) put an end to the Catholic cult in Chavannex, leading to the abandonment of the site and the rupture with the abbey of Filly, destroyed. The chapel was attached to Sciez after these disturbances. In the 17th century, it lost its parish status to become a simple chapel, dependent on Sciez.

In the 1880s, the original 13th century nave was shaved by the parish priest of Sciez, and the interior decorations were covered with a bandageon in 1928, profoundly changing his appearance. Despite these transformations, it preserves traces of its medieval and modern history.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 2022, the chapel is now owned by the municipality of Sciez. Its initial rectangular plan and successive changes reflect its evolution, linked to the religious and political upheavals in the region.

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