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Origin and history

The church Saint-Louis de Mont-Dauphin was built between 1697 and 1706 in the context of the fortifications of the stronghold imagined by Vauban. The foundations were dug in 1697-1699, and the first stone was blessed on 20 July 1700, a few months before Vauban's approval visit. The building, dedicated to Saint-Louis, was consecrated on 2 January 1706 in an unfinished state: only the choir, the base of the bell tower and a side chapel were completed. The materials used, including Guillester's pink marble, and the arched structure in cradle and cul-de-four reflect a marked architectural ambition.

During the Revolution, the church was diverted to a warehouse for salt meat, fodder and wood (1790-1803), before being returned to worship in 1803. The unfinished parts (nef and transept) were dismantled in 1873 by the army to build casemates, permanently reducing its grip. In the meantime, one-off repairs marked his history: cover was redone in 1790-1791, bell tower repaired after a storm in 1836, sacristy rebuilt after a fire in 1871. The roofs, initially in slates or shingles, were the subject of major restorations in 1901 (slates of Châteauroux) and 1933 (slates of Angers).

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1920, Saint Louis Church illustrates tensions between religious heritage and military imperatives. His choir, his sacristy and the base of the bell tower — the only vestiges of the ambitious initial project — today bear witness to his turbulent past. The successive protections (1920 for the church, 1935 for its land, 1943 for the sacristy) underline its heritage value, despite the mutilations suffered. The noble materials (pink marble, larch for the frame) and arching techniques (cradle, cul-de-four) make this an outstanding example of the 18th century Alpine religious architecture.

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