Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saints-Prim-et-Félicien of Saint-Prim, in Isère, is attested from the ninth century: a document of 863 mentions its transfer to the church of Saint-Pierre in Vienna. His choir, from the Romanesque period, bears witness to this medieval origin. The nave, restored in 1849 in a neo-Gothic style, was followed by the construction of the bell tower a few years later.

In 1997, renovations were planned, leading to an ambitious project led by DRAC and artist Claude Rutault. A public order, issued in 2000 by the commune and the Ministry of Culture, led to a radical transformation between 2004 and 2007. The church is rethought as a total artwork: walls painted in local and white earth, coloured blinds replacing stained windows, liturgical furniture redesigned, and Sulpician statues grouped together.

Claude Rutault explores a pure spirituality, where light, filtered by moving blinds, animates space without resorting to figurative representations. The leaves of the trees, projected through these colors, become "elements of life", echoing the baptistery dug for the occasion. The church, inaugurated in 2007, thus embodies a fusion between historical heritage and contemporary art.

The building retains traces of its past: the Romanesque choir contrasts with the nave of the 19th century, while recent artistic choices dialogue with the history of the place. The restoration also involved the creation of an altar, a tabernacle, seats and a cross, all integrated into this unified vision.

This metamorphosis is part of a reflection on the role of sacred art today, where abstraction and modularity (via blinds) invite a renewed sensory and spiritual experience. The project marked the church as a unique example of heritage reinterpretation by contemporary art in France.

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