Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge, located in Contamines-Montjoie in Haute-Savoie, has its origins at least in the 11th century, with an attested presence of a hermitage from the 10th century to welcome travellers on the way to Italy via the Col du Bonhomme. Originally dedicated to Saint Anthony, it became a parish in the Middle Ages, with 30 homes in 1338. Ravaged by a fire in 1518 and degraded over the centuries, it was rebuilt between 1699 and 1707 in a baroque style by architect Jean La Vougna, after episcopal visits highlighting its delabric state.

During the French Revolution, the church was transformed into a stable and its bells were requisitioned. It was abolished as a parish in 1804 and became a place of Marian devotion, attracting up to 10,000 pilgrims in 1873. Its interior, adorned with golden altarpieces and stuccos, includes works such as a polychrome child Virgin and a beam of glory unique in Faucigny. The weapons of the Savoys and statues of the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, found in the attic, are now exposed.

The sanctuary was surrounded by 14 oratories built in 1728, initially forming a Marian rosary before being transformed into a cross path around 1840. Ranked as a historic monument in 2015, the church preserves historical pilgrimage banners and an adjacent hermitage, witness to its spiritual and hospitable role for more than a millennium. The annual processions, like the one of August 15, perpetuate this tradition.

The architecture combines a unique nave, a bulb bell tower, and Latin currencies in front, including EGO MATER PVLCHRÆ BONITATIS. The restorations of the 20th century revealed original colours (dark blue starry vault) and replaced missing statues. Nearby, a chapel hung on the cliff replaces a medieval hermitage carried away by a flood in 1914, linking the site with the legend of the first hermit.

Saint Francis de Sales, during a visit in 1606, noted the population decline (10 remaining fires) and encouraged the work. The parish priest Nicolas Gouttry (1629–53) built a house for travellers, while the parish priest Collix supervised the Baroque reconstruction. Jacques Clairant, a chamberian artist, is awarded as author of the central altarpiece, representing the Assumption of the Virgin.

External links