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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, located in Savoy, is part of a medieval episcopal ensemble. Built simultaneously at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral after the destruction caused by the Saracens, it was first mentioned in a charter of Bishop Thibaud in 1041. Originally, it formed with the cathedral a "double cathedral", probably including a Baptistery whose location remains unknown. The church, with a single nave and a vaulted apse, was preceded by a nave and a square bell tower, also serving as a fortified refuge for the bishop and the canons.

In the 13th century, the church of Notre Dame became parish, as evidenced by a charter of Bishop Amédée de Miribel in 1250. Its bell tower, extended in 1477 by an arrow of 40 meters, is connected to the episcopal palace by an opening arranged around 1249. The building suffered major damage during the conflicts between Charles-Emmanuel I of Savoie and Henri IV: in 1597, Lesdiguières' troops damaged the roof and the panel, and then the French army aggravated the destruction in 1600. The repairs, entrusted to the carpenters Pétremand Bertrand and François Grangier, ended around 1602, although the church suffered further degradation.

In the 18th century, the church was deeply transformed: in 1710, the nave was vaulted and divided into spans by massive piles, while the Romanesque bays of the abside were modified, including that of the axis transformed into oculus. The arrow of the bell tower, symbol of episcopal power, was destroyed in 1794 by the order of Antoine-Louis Albitte, in the name of revolutionary principles. Its fall partially damages the building. In 1831, half of the church and adjacent buildings were razed, leaving only the bell tower to survive, spared for economic reasons. Disused, the church was classified as a historic monument in 1966 and restored between 2020 and 2023.

The architecture of Notre-Dame reflects its evolution: a unique nave 50 meters long by 12 meters wide, apse in cul-de-four, and Romanesque portal in local alabaster. The steeple, thick and square, illustrates its defensive function. The church was connected to the cathedral by a covered gallery, demolished in 1770 at the request of Cardinal Martiniana. Its history thus combines spiritual, political and military dimensions, typical of medieval episcopal buildings in the border area.

Archaeological and historical sources, such as the works of Jean Hubert or Raymond Oursel, underline his role in the episcopal group of Maurienne. The medieval charters and recent studies (Isabelle Parron-Kontis, 2002) confirm its importance in the local religious organization. Today, after its restoration, it bears witness to nearly a thousand years of Savoyard history, marked by conflicts, reconstructions and liturgical adaptations.

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