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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle finds its roots in the medieval history of the Val-d-Arly. At the end of the 11th century, the Benedictines founded the Priory of Megève, on which the parish of Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle initially depended, the first to be detached. Saint Francis de Sales preached there in 1606 in a primitive church, then composed of a nave with a stand, a choir and six chapels. This building, mentioned as old in 1701, threatened to ruin in the middle of the eighteenth century.

In 1766, the bishopric ordered the reconstruction of the church, entrusting the plans to architects Quenot and Jean Dupuy. The new building adopts a Latin cross plan with a unique nave and transept. The retables of the transept, the high altar and its baldaquin are made by artists Joseph Gillardi and Jean-Charles Moulin. The painted decoration, executed in 1866, was restored in 1942 by Henri Modena, then in 1977 by Faurot and Garnier. The church, protected by a decree of 20 June 1989, now embodies a Savoyard religious and artistic heritage.

The building reflects the stylistic and liturgical evolutions of its time, mixing medieval heritage and Baroque influences. Its history also illustrates the importance of Benedictine priories in the Alpine religious organization, as well as the role of bishops in preserving places of worship. The successive restorations of the 19th and 20th centuries bear witness to a constant desire to enhance this local heritage, now owned by the municipality.

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