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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Valloire, located in the Savoy department, finds its origins in a major reconstruction in the seventeenth century. As early as 1609 the bishop of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Bishop Milliet, and then his successor Charles Bobba (1622), found that the old church, dedicated according to tradition to Saint Peter, had become too small. Between 1623 and 1640, a reconstruction project was developed, with the collective participation of parishioners: each of them brought a stone during the Masses, forming human chains to transport them. The works, led by Reverend Father Dupré (1639-1682), began in 1660 in a baroque style, before being completed under the supervision of Reverend Bertrand Martin from 1679. The building was finally consecrated on 22 July 1682 by Bishop Hercule Berzet.

The major altarpiece, made in 1673 by artist François Rymellin, from Durbach (Bade), is a remarkable element of the church. Sculpted in walnut, it incorporates six torso columns and two polychrome wooden statues representing St.Peter and St.Thècle, the latter associated with a local legend of the Ve-VIth century. The altarpiece was restored in 1852. The gypseries and stuccos, executed in 1678 by Louis Gavy and Dominique Crotex under Rymellin's direction, also adorn the interior. The church, from plan to Latin cross with a unique nave and eight lateral altars, uses a regional grey stone. It was classified as historical monuments on 20 September 1945.

In the early 2000s, a restoration campaign concerned the facade, altars and paintings, thus preserving this Savoyard Baroque heritage. The church remains an architectural and artistic testimony of the Maurienne, marked by the community commitment and influence of local artisans such as the Rymellin. The weapons of Bishop Berzet, painted on the ceiling, recall his role in the consecration of the building. Today, the building belongs to the municipality of Valloire and continues to symbolize the religious and cultural heritage of the region.

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