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Origin and history

The Saint-Philibert church of Saint-Ismier, located in the ancient village of this village of Gresivaudan, is a Roman Catholic religious building dating from the 12th century. Its portal, the only clearly identifiable medieval vestige, is decorated with molasse columns and sculpted capitals depicting symbolic motifs such as two-tailed sirens, pampres, or Eve surrounded by snakes. These contemporary sculptures of construction illustrate religious and allegorical themes, although their exact interpretation remains debated.

The church was initially placed under the patronage of Saint Himerius before 1083, then dedicated to Saint Philibert in 1850 at the request of Bishop Philibert of Bruillard. In the 15th century Soffrey d'Arces, local lord, financed a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine, where four members of her family were buried. The building experienced a major expansion in the 17th century, doubling its surface with the addition of a second porch in 1625. More recently, in 1981, an organ was installed there by Michel Giroud, and in 1989 contemporary stained glass windows by Arcabas enriched his decor.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 20 July 1908 for its portal, the building remains an active place of worship, integrated since 2000 in the parish of Saint-Martin du Manival. In 2024, he hosted a national television mass as part of the program The Day of the Lord, bearing witness to his persistent cultural and religious influence.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its integration into the communal cemetery, divided into two parts (old and recent), and by its central position in the historical landscape of Gresivaudan. The capitals of the portal, notably those representing an orant (symbolizing Saint Ismier) or sirens (allegory of sin), offer a rare glimpse of the local Romanesque iconography.

The successive transformations, such as the restoration of the chapel of St Catherine in the seventeenth century or the addition of modern stained glass windows, reflect a continuous history, marked by liturgical and artistic adaptations. The site, owned by the municipality, thus preserves traces of nearly nine centuries of religious and community history.

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