Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Church of the Holy Trinity en Haute-Savoie

Haute-Savoie

Church of the Holy Trinity

    14 Chemin du P Tou
    74170 Les Contamines-Montjoie

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1758
Signing of the construction contract
1759
Construction of church
1802
Drawing of the tower by Turner
vers 1840
Re-tables
vers 1850
Added the bell tower arrow
1882
Renovation by Piedmontese workers
1976
Restoration by Édouard Borga
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Domenico Gualino - Piedmontese master of work Responsible for construction in 1759.
William Turner - British painter Designed the tower in 1802.
Édouard Borga - Restorative painter The church was renovated in 1976.
Saint François de Sales - Bishop of Annecy (1602-1622) Statue present in the church.

Origin and history

The church of the Sainte-Trinité des Contamines-Montjoie is a Savoyard Baroque building erected in 1759. Prior to that date, the inhabitants of the village depended on the parish of Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, located an hour's walk away. After ten years, they obtained permission to build their own church. The works were entrusted to Domenico Gualino de Sastegno, Piedmontese master of work, by a contract signed on 5 September 1758 in Sallanches. The building, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, consists of a unique nave with three spans for the faithful and two for the choir. The facade is decorated with statues representing St Peter, St Paul and the Good Shepherd, while the dove of the Holy Spirit symbolizes the Trinity under the awning.

The square bell tower, surmounted by an arrow around 1850, rests on the foundations of a tower of an old destroyed border castle, dating from before the fourteenth century, when the Faucigny was attached to the Savoy. This tower was even designed by painter William Turner in 1802. The entrance door, carved in a Savoyard Baroque style by an artisan from Viuz-en-Sallaz, is framed by pilasters and antelope. Inside, an 18th century beam of glory separates the nave from the sanctuary, where a Christ on a cross sits. The retables, redone around 1840, and the high altar, adorned with a carved dais, are surrounded by statues of Saints Augustine and François de Sales, the latter having been bishop of Annecy from 1602 to 1622.

The side altars are dedicated to St Joseph — accompanied by St Peter and St Barthélémy — and to the Virgin with the Child, surrounded by St Agathe and St Margarita. The vault is decorated with frescoes depicting the four Evangelists, as well as Saint Guérin and Saint Francis de Sales above the gallery. The building was renovated in 1882 by Piedmontese workers and then in 1976 by the painter Édouard Borga, thus preserving his artistic and historical heritage.

External links