Presbytère
Monument
Presbytère, located in Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières (Département 74), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.0044, 6.3941
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00118418
Nestling in the heart of Petit-Bornand-les-Glières, this 18th-century presbytery embodies the alpine sobriety of Savoyard religious architecture, with its massive volumes and carved stone characteristic of the high Alpine valleys.
History
The presbytery of Petit-Bornand-les-Glières is a discreet yet essential part of the village's memory, and stands out as one of the most authentic examples of rural religious architecture in Haute-Savoie at the end of the 18th century. Built in this village nestling between the Aravis and Bargy mountain ranges, it belongs to that category of buildings which, without the ostentation of the great abbeys, concentrate remarkable architectural eloquence in their very sobriety. The building is part of a preserved village fabric, where traditional Savoyard urban planning has maintained a striking coherence. The local stone, fashioned with the economy of means characteristic of mountain builders, gives the building an almost mineral solidity, in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape. The steeply pitched roofs, necessary to withstand the region's harsh winters, contribute to the distinctive silhouette of this type of construction. Visiting this presbytery is like immersing yourself in the daily life of the rural clergy during the Ancien Régime and the Revolutionary period, a pivotal time when these parish houses underwent profound upheaval. You'll see how presbyteral houses functioned: accommodation for the parish priest, farm outbuildings and a garden, all designed to ensure the self-sufficiency of a rural minister. The exceptional natural setting of the Plateau des Glières, a major site of the French Resistance, gives this monument a special aura. The surrounding green mountain pastures and fir forests provide a sublime backdrop for a visit that combines architectural heritage and historical memory. Photographers and lovers of rural heritage will find it a rich source of inspiration, far from the usual tourist crowds.
Architecture
The presbytery at Petit-Bornand-les-Glières is typical of eighteenth-century Savoyard alpine presbytery architecture: a simple, compact volume with a rectangular floor plan, the proportions of which are more in keeping with climatic requirements than aesthetic concerns. The steeply pitched roof, covered in tavaillons or lauzes - traditional materials of the Aravis region - allows the heavy snow of the mountain winters to evacuate quickly. The walls, built of carefully-matched local limestone, bear witness to the high-quality masonry skills inherited from Savoyard craftsmen renowned throughout Europe. The facades are characterised by their almost deliberate sobriety: the openings, framed by ashlar quoins, are regularly arranged in a discreet symmetry typical of provincial classicism. The main exterior features are straight or slightly braced lintels, moulded window sills and elaborate door surrounds. An external stone staircase, or perron, probably marks the main entrance, as was common practice in Savoyard presbyteries. The interior, organised around a functional layout, traditionally included a common room, an office for parish records, several bedrooms and a storeroom or cellar. These spaces, covered with beamed ceilings or brick vaults depending on the room, recreate the sober, hard-working atmosphere of the life of an 18th-century country parish priest. The adjoining garden, typical of rural presbyteries, was intended for growing the vegetables that were essential to the parish priest's self-sufficiency.
Related Figures
Victor-Amédée III, duc de Savoie et roi de Sardaigne, sous le règne duquel le presbytère fut vraisemblablement construitLe curé fondateur de la paroisse moderne du Petit-Bornand au XVIIIe siècle, initiateur probable de la constructionLes maçons et charpentiers savoyards locaux, artisans anonymes d'une tradition constructive alpine séculaireNapoléon Bonaparte, dont le Concordat de 1801 restaura la fonction presbytérale de nombreuses maisons curiales en FranceTom Morel, chef des maquisards des Glières en 1944, dont l'épopée historique enveloppe symboliquement tout le patrimoine du plateau
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Presbytère located?
Presbytère is located in Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Presbytère built?
Presbytère dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Presbytère open to visitors?
Presbytère is currently closed to visitors.