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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse in Annecy was born in the 11th century, mentioned as a modest Marian oratory on a religious site, close to a medieval hospice and a public square. This place, already marked by devotion, was chosen in the 14th century to build a more ambitious church, under the impulse of the Counts of Geneva. Founded around 1360 by Amédée III, who made it the family necropolis, construction continued under his successor Robert until its completion in 1394, with a consecration in 1398. The original Gothic building incorporated defensive elements, such as a fortified bell tower, reflecting its central role in the medieval city.

The French Revolution marked a violent turning point for the church: in 1793 its choir was destroyed to create a place of Liberty, symbol of revolutionary political gatherings. The bell tower, spared the total destruction in contrast to the other bell towers of Annecy, lost its arrow and scalds. At the beginning of the 19th century, the square became a key place in local politics, even hosting a tree of freedom. After the Savoy's attachment to France in 1815, the parishes were restored, but the church, heavily degraded, had to wait until 1846-1851 to be rebuilt in a neo-classical Sardinian style, retaining its medieval bell tower and Gothic window.

The reconstruction of the mid-19th century gave the church its present form as a Latin cross, with a vaulted nave in the middle of the hanger and a central dome. Its neo-classical façade, dated 1846, contrasts with the preserved Gothic remains. The interior houses two lateral altars dedicated to Saint Francis de Sales and Notre-Dame du Rosaire, while the baptismal fonts (1852) and the high altar (1854) bear witness to this period of renewal. The adjacent square, renamed Place Notre-Dame, retained its commercial and social vocation, hosting a market until 1854 before welcoming in 1859 a fountain with obelisk, symbol of urban modernization.

The bell tower of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse is home to a remarkable rural heritage. The oldest bell, founded in 1655 by Aubry (400 kg), is still ringing an angel, while a bell of 1606 and another of 1699 (50 kg) are mentioned in the archives. Two bells, melted in 1768 by Louis Léonard de Morteau, weighed up to 11,380 pounds. The Paccard foundry also left its mark with the bumblebee La Salesienne (5 tons, 1878), dedicated to Saint Francis de Sales, and a bell of one ton melted in 1891. These sound elements illustrate the technical and devotional evolution of the place.

Among the protected elements, a 17th century bell and a 19th century painting depicting Christ on the Cross attest to the artistic richness of the building. The church, now ranked among the historical collegiates of the diocese of Geneva, embodies both the Savoyard religious heritage and the political upheavals that marked Annecy, from the Ancien Régime to the Sardinian period, including the 19th century Catholic Revolution and Restoration.

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