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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Nicolas church of Saint-Jorioz, located in Haute-Savoie, replaces an old Priorial church built near the lake, in a wetland. This first building, linked to the Benedictine priory of Macellum-Mezel (former name of Saint-Jorioz), was considered unhealthy and small. The toponym "Old Church" and the so-called "Tavan" place, with its chapel called "Old", bear witness to this ancient religious occupation.

The construction of the present church, decided in 1883 by the municipal council, began in 1885 under the direction of architect Jean Denarié, in a neo-Gothic style. It was consecrated in 1897, after a first Mass celebrated on October 31, 1886. The stained glass windows, created by Veuve Charles Champigneule de Bar-le-Duc, adorn the building. In 1899, a storm partially damaged the church, then a tornado in 1935 destroyed the bell tower and its arrow, then rebuilt in lower height.

The church houses relics of St.Jorius in a shawl and is associated with a pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Nicholas, his patron. Two elements are classified as Historical Monuments: a statue of The Madonna nursing the child (late 15th–early 16th century) and a bell named Mary (XVIth century), protected respectively in 1936 and 1943.

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