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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Samoëns, first mentioned in 1167, was destroyed in 1476 during the Bernese invasion. Gradually rebuilt, it became a collegiate body in 1575 after being freed from the Abbey of Sixt. From the original building, only the base of the bell tower (XIII century) and the chapel Saint-Claude (XV century) remain. The works lasted several centuries: porch and right side, completed in 1555, choir in 1605, left side in 1621, and sacristy in 1840.

Disused during the Revolution, it became again parish church in 1802. The masons of Samoëns, renowned for their know-how, contributed to its construction and decorative elements. In 1917, Marie-Louise Cognacq-Jaÿ, founder of the department stores La Samaritaine and native of the village, financed the interior renovation in a neo-Gothic style. A complete restoration took place between 1978 and 1982, before its inscription in the historical monuments in 1987.

The bell tower, the oldest part, lost its four bell towers during the Revolution, replaced by a flat roof. The 1555 gate, decorated with the coat of arms of Monsignor Biord and Cardinal Gerdil (born in Samoëns), is shifted from the nave due to a serious problem after a flood of the Clervious. The lateral naves, asymmetric, differ in their brightness: that of the noon, lighter, contrasts with that of the north.

The choir, built in 1605 in the form of a half-dodecagon, is illuminated by five stained glass windows (1982) depicting the patron saint of the local masons, Saint Francis de Sales, and local figures such as Ponce, founder of the Abbey of Sixt. The marble altar (1775), the wooden pulpit Louis XIII style (1699), and the black marble bentier (1844) bear witness to its rich furniture heritage. A Baroque statue of Virgin and Child, supposedly inspired by Anne of Austria and Louis XIV, is also preserved.

In 2017, a large 48-game organ, originally built in 1955 for a Swiss temple, was installed after a complete renovation by the Saby-Formentelli factory. The chapel of Saint Claude is home to the baptismal fonts of 1717, surmounted by a wooden furniture of the cabinetist François Gendre. The original vault key, replaced in 1917, bears the coat of arms of Henry I of Savoie-Nemours and is displayed near the entrance.

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