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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The cross of the Genevrey Cemetery, also known as the Genevrey Cross, is a Roman Catholic stone cross erected in the 15th century. It is located in the hamlet of Genevrey (or Genevray), on the commune of Vif, in the department of Isère, in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Classified as a Historic Monument since 11 February 1911, it is located in front of the porch of St. Mary's Church of Genevrey, on the site of the old cemetery of the village, which disappeared in the 19th century.

This cross, with a medieval tombstone embedded in the southern wall of the porch, constitutes the only physical trace of the ancient cemetery that once surrounded the church. Its current location on the Church Street allows direct visibility from the public road. The cross is owned by the municipality of Vif and is subject to heritage protection because of its seniority and historical role in the local religious landscape.

The church of Sainte-Marie du Genevrey, in the immediate vicinity, and the cross form a coherent architectural and historical ensemble, testifying to the spatial and funeral organization of rural hamlets in Isère at the end of the Middle Ages. The cross, by its simplicity and durability, also illustrates the permanence of Christian symbols in the French countryside, despite the transformations of cemeterial spaces over the centuries.

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