Église Saint-Pierre
Church
Église Saint-Pierre, located in La Forclaz (Département 74), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- La Forclaz, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.3213, 6.6146
- Mérimée Reference
- PA74000055
A neo-classical Sardinian jewel in the Alps, transformed in 1961 by architect Maurice Novarina: mosaics by Jacint Salvado, goldsmiths by François Hugo... a 20th century church like no other.
History
Perched in the Val d'Arly, on the edge of Haute-Savoie, the church of Saint-Pierre de La Forclaz is one of those rare works where two centuries of architecture and artistic creation overlap without contradicting each other. Built in 1829 in the sober neo-classical style favoured by the Kingdom of Sardinia - to which Savoie belonged at the time - it is immediately striking for the quality of its exposed stonework and the geometric rigour of its volumes. What radically sets Saint-Pierre apart from its contemporaries is the radical metamorphosis it underwent in 1961 under the hand of Maurice Novarina, the great Savoyard architect and leading figure in French reconstruction. Its renovation is more than a simple facelift: it is an aesthetic rethink, a tense dialogue between the permanence of stone and the abstraction of the twentieth century. By stripping the interior of all baroque and neo-classical ornamentation, Novarina created a white, luminous setting, conducive to both meditation and artistic contemplation. Visitors are immediately struck by the large mosaic in the choir by Jacint Salvado, a Catalan painter in the Picasso galaxy, whose intense colours vibrate against the pure background of the apse. The stained glass windows by the same artist cut the Alpine light into coloured layers that vary according to the time of day. Faced with the tabernacle carved by François Hugo, grandson of Victor Hugo and an exceptional goldsmith, the cultural ambition of the project is clear: to make this mountain church a discreet manifesto of contemporary sacred art. The experience of visiting the church is that of a space with a double temporality: the 19th-century Sardinian envelope and the minimalist, pictorial interior of the 1960s can be read as two strata of the same devotion. The light, filtered through Salvado's stained glass windows, changes character between morning and evening, inviting visitors to make several visits. Lovers of sacred art, modern architecture and exceptional craftsmanship will find plenty of food for thought here.
Architecture
On the outside, St Peter's Church is typical of the neo-classical Sardinian style of the early 19th century: a tidy façade, balanced proportions and sober ornamentation that contrasts with the baroque exuberance of many Alpine churches. The exposed stone, grouted with cement during the 1961 renovation, gives the building a clean mineral texture, almost contemporary in its rendering, which contrasts with the coloured renderings of the neighbouring buildings. The sacristy, whose roof was raised during the Novarina works to accommodate a boiler room in the attic, bears discreet witness to the functional adaptations of the twentieth century. The interior is the true architectural heart of the building. Here Novarina deploys his favourite principle: constructive clarity in the service of contemplation. The pilasters, entirely rebuilt in cement, punctuate the space of a single nave with geometric rigour. The pink Italian marble floor, an unexpected replacement for the Rimogne slate originally planned, creates a warm chromatic dialogue with the whiteness of the walls and the sparkle of the stained glass windows. The large mosaic by Jacint Salvado, which occupies the entire apse of the choir, imposes a strong visual presence, in the intense tones characteristic of this artist who trained in Picasso's entourage. Stained-glass windows by the same Salvado modulate the natural lighting into coloured layers that enliven the space according to the time of day. François Hugo's silverware - tabernacle, baptismal font, cross and candlestick - introduces a dimension of exceptional craftsmanship to the space, at the crossroads of the sacred and modern.
Related Figures
Maurice Novarina (1909-2002) — architecte savoyard, Grand Prix de Rome, auteur de la rénovation de 1961Jacint Salvado (1892-1983) — peintre catalan, auteur des vitraux et de la mosaïque du chœurFrançois Hugo (1899-1981) — orfèvre, petit-fils de Victor Hugo, auteur du mobilier liturgique en métalVictor Hugo (1802-1885) — romancier et poète, aïeul de l'orfèvre François Hugo
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Église Saint-Pierre located?
Église Saint-Pierre is located in La Forclaz, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Église Saint-Pierre built?
Église Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Église Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Église Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.