Comfort Ride: Following the elephants

The Centre d'Interprétation de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine de Chambéry is located in a former mansion - the Hôtel de Cordon. Originally built in the 16th century, its main outer walls and internal layout were modified in the 18th century.This local cultural facility seeks to educate and inform visitors about the development of the town and raise awareness of architecture and heritage. What makes a town, district or building valuable? Or, more generally speaking, what makes it unique and special? The CIAP de Chambéry is a place of exchange at the frontier of everything that defines the town, from its past to the future. The Hôtel de Cordon is a lively space, with many activities going on: - starting point for guided tours of the old centre - educational activity and conference room - specialist architecture and heritage library (by appointment only) and office of the town's lead architect for protected zones - permanent exhibition about the town and its heritage: heritage conservation, the housing in Chambéry, the development of the town, and more. - temporary exhibitions

This is the last Sardinian-style building in Chambéry, built between 1850-1860. Built originally for the Sénat de Savoie, it has been used for the Regional Court and Appeal Court since the Savoie region was annexed by France.Designed by Pierre-Louis Besson and Pierre Spurgazzi, this is an excellent example of neo-Classical, Sardinian architecture and one of the last buildings in Chambéry with an Italian influence. The façade contains an avant-corps with 7 bays, with Ionic columns topped by a simple triangular pediment. The inner courtyard, bordered with porticos, was heavily influenced by the style of Antonio da Sangallo and Andrea Palladio.

The renovated indoor market provides stallholders with a great working tool. Food stalls, a florist and a bar, the Reg'Halles, are all part of the welcome in this dynamic, friendly market, where you will enjoy walking around, as well as shopping.

Rebuilt in 1866, this is one of the finest Italian-style theatres in France. It is named after Charles Dullin, a famous actor and director, who was born in Yenne in Savoie.Of the theater built in 1824 thank to the General de Boigne, is surviving a wonderful drop cloth, painted by Luigi Vacca and representing "The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld". After its destruction because of a fire in 1864, the theater was rebuilt at the same place, following the plans of Charles Bernard Pellegrini and Joseph Samuel Revel. The main plan is the same as the one of the first building. The prostyle is actually a vestige of the theatre of 1820. The front, divided in a first central part and of two back part on the sides, is however much less important, which more adapted to the place. The big room surprises by its heat and its refinment. Its conception is typically italian with a horseshoe form, composed of 4 galleries superimposed. The decor of the stage and of the room are the work of Chenillion, set designer of the opera of Marseille, the decoration of the galleries are the work of Diéterle, designer of the opera of Paris. Sculptures and painting are from Delécole and Bin. The renovation of 1993 has allowed to keep the variety of colors, with the galleries and the walls ochre and the boxes and the stalls in green-grey. The theatre from Chambéry was nicknamed "the small Scala" because of its big inspiration from the prestigious milanese opera.

One of the town’s emblematic monuments, this fountain was built in 1838 to pay tribute to General de Boigne, a major benefactor of Chambéry, his native town.At the death of Benoit de Boigne, the town decides to erect a monument to his glory. It chooses the project of Pierre-Victor Sappey for its originality and its importance despite a low-cost. The set is 17,65 meters high, built in limestone from Saint Sulpice. It's a curious and skilled superimposition of three monuments : a fountain, a column and a statue. The fountain shows in its plane a cross of Savoy, represented by four elephants united by their rump. Realized in cast iron, they're dropping the water from their trunk in an octagonal pool. They are carrying a battle tower, ornamented with writings and trophies, remembering the feats in battle of the General in the Indies and his numerous acts of benefaction for the town. On the column, sculpted as if it was a palm tree trunk (again a reference to the Indies), a statue of 3 meters high of the General sat on its top.

It was built in the 15th century by the Franciscans and became a cathedral in 1779, when the diocese of Chambéry was created. Behind a simple façade, it houses the largest collection of trompe-l'oeil paintings in Europe (6000m²).The work started in 1418 and the church was finished in 1587. It became cathedral in 1779 and then metropolis in 1817 when Chambéry became an archdiocese. The front isn't showing the customary greatness of cathedrals. It's explained by the franciscan modesty but also by the swampy subsoil which required the installation of more than 30000 larch piers. Such planting didn't allow the construction of a slender structure. On the other hand, the inside is striking with its greatness and its Flamboyant Gothic style very simple. The main caracteristic of the Saint-François de Sales Cathedral remains however in its trompe-l'oeil paintings which cover the walls and vaults. It was realized in 1834 by Casimir Vicario who privileged the Troubadour Gothic style which was very popular in Savoy at the time. Its romantic organ dating from 1847, classified historical monument, is the work of Augustin Zeiger. With its 50 registers on 3 piano keys and pedalboard, its one of the most important of the region Rhône-Alpes. Since 2010, a copy of the "Turin Shroud" is exposed in the cathedral. It has been offered by the Turin Archbishop for the 150th anniversary of the Savoy join with France.

This building by Charles-Bernard Pellegrini was one of the first examples of French architecture after the Savoie region was annexed to France in 1863.

This baroque-style church is all that remains of a vast Jesuit convent. It contains a 17th century marble and gilded wood altarpiece, a 19th century organ and The Virgin of the Rosary, a remarkable work by one of David's pupils.Masterwork of the convent of the Jesuits, the church Notre Dame was finished in 1646, during the most brilliant period of the Order. The front, althought of baroque style still simple. The blazon, visible above the entrance is wearing the arms of the duke Charles-Emmanuel Ist, who set down the first stone in 1599. By the richness of its decoration, the inside offers a real contrast with the front. Remade by Vicario in 1845, wonderful paintings and compositions decorate the vault, raised by a dome also very richly decorated. At the back of the choir there's the altarpiece in marble and golden wood. Many art pieces decorate the sides chapels, especially a virgin of wax dressed by the dressmaker Balmain.

La Sasson, carved by Alexandre Falguière in 1892.La Sasson - 'large woman' in the Savoyard dialect - is a bronze statue carved by the famous sculptor, Alexandre Falguière, to commemorate the centenary of the union of the Savoie to France in 1792. When the statue was inaugurated on the 4th September 1892 in the presence of Sadi Carnot, the President of the Republic, the mayor, Antoine Perrier, declared: 'this statue represents the robust elegance of the Savoie. She presses the timeless French flag to her breast, this symbol of the motherland that has brought ideas of emancipation, independence and social equality to people around the world'. The residents of Chambéry have disparaged this work, condemning its clumsiness. However, it can be argued that the statue's outline and heavier form foreshadows the work of Maillol.

The renovated Musée des Beaux Arts contains a collection largely composed of Italian works from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century, but it also displays works that help us to understand the history of art in the Savoy region.The Grenette building This corn exchange, previously known as a ‘grenette’, was located along the Medieval ramparts of the ducal city and surrounded by the Leysse, the river deviating from the Lac du Bourget. Closed down in the 19th century, it was repurposed as a voting booth for the union of the Savoie region and France, before being transformed into a museum-library in the 1880s. Renovated between 2009 and 2011, the unique architectural character of this building was restored, exploiting the diversity of the three rooms: the pillars under vaults on the ground floor, the metallic, Eiffel Tower-like aspect of the first floor, and the large windows of the second floor. Permanent collections Early art The 15th century is considered to be Savoie’s Golden Age. Combining both northern (Flanders, Germany, Switzerland) and Italian influences, these extremely rare wooden paintings demonstrate an exceptional artistic quality, marked with various archaisms. The Renaissance and Mannerism A remarkable collection of Italian works dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, with Sienna and Florence being particularly well-represented. The religious and allegorical scenes are carefully composed, with bright colours and clear, acidic tones. Portraits A wonderful collection of Italian, Flemish and Savoyard portraits, dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The social status of the subject can be determined by looking at whether they are alone or in a group. Genre paintings bring together various characters. The 17th century The heart of the Italian collection, the intense, formal quality of the Ecole de Naples is well-documented, which increases the dramatic atmosphere in the paintings. The collection also includes work from Rome, Florence and Venice. Piedmont in the 18th century Ecole de Turin, with its background in the unique history of the Savoie and the special relationship between Chambéry and Piedmont, produced some the most outstanding Baroque and neo-Classic works from Piedmont. L'Ecole savoyarde The Ecole de Peinture de Chambéry produced various artists, who were inspired by workshops in Geneva, Turin et Paris during the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. They painted landscapes, with the constantly-changing countryside being their main source of inspiration. Furthermore, the museum offers a year-round programme of temporary exhibitions and cultural events.