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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre de Moirans, mentioned in 1016, was given by Humbert I of Albon, bishop of Grenoble, to the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Cruas. This priory, the only dependence of Cruas in the Grenoblus diocese, attests to an ancient Christian presence: epitaphs of the 6th-VIIth centuries, discovered in 1863, confirm its high medieval origin. The 2002 excavations revealed three major construction phases between the 11th and 14th centuries, marked by the collapse of the central nave in 1300 and its simplified reconstruction, followed by a reconsecration in 1333.

In the 15th century, the seigneury of Moirans belonged to the family of Sautereau (1446–XVIth century, then 1573–1745), who assumed the patronage of the priory. Abel de Sautereau, vicar general of Grenoble, restored the Notre-Dame-de-Pitié chapel in 1627. The bell tower, collapsed in 1486, was rebuilt with an arrow added in the 18th century. Disused in 1903 after the construction of a new parish church, Saint-Pierre successively became a gymnasium and a festive hall, before its classification to historical monuments in 1984.

The current building, 30 meters long, combines a central nave without five vaulted spans, flanked by collaterals, and a prominent transept sheltering three apses. Its architecture reflects the successive adaptations, from Romanesque origins to Gothic and modern changes. Archaeological remains, such as the Merovingian epitaphs, underline its central role in local Christianization and its lasting link with the seigneurial and ecclesiastical powers of Dauphin.

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