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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Amé de Plombières-les-Bains, also dedicated to Saint Blaise, replaces an 18th-century building deemed old in 1849. His reconstruction (1857–60) was impulsed by Abbé Balland and financed by Napoleon III, who personally contributed 5,000 francs and bought land for 112,640 francs. The initial project, entrusted to the architect Léon-Charles Grilllot (advised by Viollet-le-Duc), opted for a 14th century Gothic style after the abandonment of a Romanesque preliminary project. The location, initially disputed, was fixed on the left bank of the Augronne after the imperial visit of 1858.

The construction involved the entrepreneur Charles Petit and the carpenter Nicolas Deschaseaux. The tower, completed in 1860, peaks at 61 meters with a cast iron arrow decorated with an imperial crown in homage to Napoleon III. The high altar was consecrated in 1863 by Bishop Caverot, bishop of Saint-Dié. The ornamentation work continued until 1905, including the sculpture of the portal by Maguin (1864) and the enlargement of the organ stand (1882).

The building, made of Vosges sandstone and brick, features a three-vessel basil plan, a salient transept and ogival vaults. Its fragility, due to the brittleness of the stone, requires constant maintenance. Ranked a historic monument in 1995 (after the classification of its furniture in 1982), the church benefited from a major restoration of its roof between 2017 and 2019, financed by donations.

The church of Saint-Amé is part of the diocese of Saint-Dié and is part of the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Sources, alongside the bell towers of Ruaux and Bellefontaine. Its history reflects local tensions during its construction, between supporters of an ambitious project and critics who consider the costs excessive. Symbol of worldly life under the Second Empire, it was designed to accommodate the thermal elites, its dimensions meeting the requirements of the crinolines.

Its neo-Gothic architecture, inspired by the models of the 14th century, contrasts with the modesty of the old 18th century chapel, itself succeeding a seigneurial foundation in Lorraine of 1390. The influence of Viollet-le-Duc, although indirect, appears in the choice of materials (stone, brick) and decorative details (gargoyles, plant pinnacles).

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