L'église Notre-Dame

This Lombard-style church features the famous pyramidions that characterise many churches in the north of the department. Built on the site of the former church of Notre-Dame, it is the result of the church reconstruction programme launched by the Archbishop of Embrun in the 15th century. The church of Notre-Dame was consecrated in 1452 by the Archbishop of Embrun. So it was the first to be reconstructed. In so doing, he was seeking to restore the splendour of places of worship and assert Catholic power in the face of the numerous Protestants and Waldensians in the region. It would serve as a model for many other churches in the area, with a Lombard bell tower topped by an octagonal spire, and a single nave building with no aisles or transept. Note the 4 protruding stones above the porch: they used to support a wooden awning on two columns. They were supported by two lions, as in the churches of Guillestre and Saint-Marcellin in Vars. The church of Notre-Dame is in the late Romanesque style and is listed as a Historic Monument. Note its pink marble façade, its semi-circular arch, its arched bell towers and its sumptuous marble tabernacle.