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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Marcellin de La Salle-les-Alpes, located in the Hautes-Alpes, finds its origins in the 1st quarter of the 15th century, although a place of worship is attested by a bubble of Benedict, Archbishop of Embrun, confirming his attachment to the Abbey of Oulx. The bell tower, potentially the oldest part, could date from the 14th century. The present building preserves Gothic elements such as the nave, porch and southern vaulted chapels of the river or ridges, while the northern chapels adopt a cradle.

In 1469, the community trustees passed a prize-winner with Mathieu Guras, master of work from the diocese of Como (duchy of Milan), to rebuild the choir and add a side chapel — probably the present chapel of the Virgin. The model chosen is that of the choir of the church of Saint-Martin-de-Queyries, with a period of four years for the works. The nave and porch, after the choir, would date from the late 15th or early 16th century, before the consecration of the church in 1532 by the Archbishop of Embrun, Pascalis.

In the 17th century, the church underwent several major changes. A fire in 1640 damaged the chapel of the Virgin, partially rebuilt (a window bears the date of 1643). In 1662, the community acquired land in the east to expand the building, leading to the construction of the current choir in the 1670s. The sacristy, added in 1712, completed the eastward extension. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1914, the church now belongs to the commune.

Its architecture thus reflects centuries of evolution, mixing medieval influences (Gothic vaults), Renaissance (chapels) and baroque (Seventh century reshuffles), while at the same time testifying to Alpine artistic exchanges with Northern Italy via artisans such as Mathieu Guras.

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