Hiking "The Baroque Path"

This Church was completely rebuilt in 1702, in the Baroque style of the Alps, replacing the previous church which stood in its place since the 15th Century. The Church is dedicated to St Nicolas, saint patron of the traders, sailors and children.The steeple, which was destroyed during the French revolution and was entirely rebuilt in 1828, is remarkable for its stainless steel facing. Inside the Church, the 18th century retable in polychromatic wood was restored by the Beaux Arts in 1970. Both the steeple and the retable are designated historical monuments. Masses : Saturday 1 October 2022 : 6.30 pm Saturday, October 1, 2022 : 6:30 PM Sunday October 16 2022 : 10:00am Saturday, October 22 2022: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 6 2022 : 10:00 a.m. Saturday, November 12 2022 : 6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 27 2022 : 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 3 2022 : 6:30 p.m. Sunday, December 18 2022 : 10:00 a.m. Christmas December 24 2022 : 8:00 p.m. Christmas December 25 2022 : 10:00 Saturday, December 31 2022 : 6:30 p.m.

On the village’s edge, in the old Rectory, the Sacred Art Museum displays the treasures of the Saint-Nicolas church.Some fifty objects (wood sculptures, paintings, religious items), from the 16th to the 19th century, tell the story of the village and its colportage. On the first floor, the colportage room is home to temporary exhibitions.

The church of Saint-Nicolas is one of the crown jewels of Alpine Baroque art. It was built during the first half of the 18th Century using funds provided by expatriates and colporteurs going to the German Low Country.Characteristic of the Alpine Baroque with its sober exterior and its interior bursting with colour, gilding and cherubs, the church of St. Nicholas is an enchantment for the eyes. Known for its "Saint-Nicolas blue", which gives rhythm to the vaults entirely painted in the 19th century, its five polychrome carved wooden altarpieces and its unsuspected trompe-l'oeil, the interior of the building gives the word magnificence its full meaning! Don't forget to push open the door of the nearby Museum of Sacred Art, to plunge into the history of the village, its famous peddlers and the sumptuous Baroque period!

The church was built by the Italian builder Domenico Gualino and completed in 1759, as shown on the four cast-iron tie rods at the corners of the façade. The church's interior remained unfinished at this time and its interior decoration dates from 1847.The spire was added in 1845. The square bell-tower was built on a tower of the ancient Montjoie castle that guarded the entrance to the Bonhomme mountain pass. The porch roof informs us that the church is dedicated to the Holy-Trinity, an uncommon dedication for a church in this part of Europe. The funds for its construction came mostly from emmigrants. The church survived the French Revolution, the annexation (of the Mont-Blanc departement ) and the Napoleonic wars without damage. The secret of making the original tinplate scales has been lost, so the roofing has been renovated using with stainless steel. The church was immortalized in 1802 by the famous english painter Turner. Its most recent renovation was carried out by Edouard Borga in 1976. Extract from “Les Contamines at the beginning of the century” by an amateur photographer, Dr. Ancelet, the first doctor to live in the village.

When one arrives at the Gorge, one discovers 14 small oratoricals (or chapels) that dot the path leading to the church.They were built at the instigation of Father Gaillard in 1728, primarily to lend even more splendour to the Marian cult already established in this location. The Rosary comprises five “Joyful Mysteries”, five “Sorrowful Mysteries” and five “Glorious Mysteries” that commemorate the various stages of the life of the Virgin Mary.

"An extremely ancient place of pilgrimage with a curious Baroque-style oratory, covered with Renaissance frescoes and gilt, in the purest tradition of Savoie's religious heritage..." wrote Roger Frison Roche in Mont-Blanc aux sept Vallées.We have no certain information on the origin of Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge: it is said that 900 years ago, a hermit settled in this valley bottom, to welcome and comfort travellers who passed through this place... The path led to the Bonhomme pass, and from there, one reached Italy. The pious hermit had organised a sanctuary for the "spiritual rehabilitation" of travellers. He dedicated it to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of muleteers and guides. The archives reveal that the small sanctuary became a parish. The bottom of the valley was inhabited: in 1338, the "village" of La Gorge had thirty "fires" (households). A VERY SPECIAL ALTARPIECE Originally, the group of statues on the upper level of the altarpiece illustrated the Coronation of the Virgin, the fifteenth mystery of the Rosary. Mary at prayer, flanked by Christ and God the Father, occupied the central part of the decoration. For some unknown reason, the altarpiece was taken down between the end of the 18th and the middle of the 19th century. Perhaps to protect it during the revolutionary period? When it was put back in place, it was thought to be a good idea to place the statue of the Eternal Father in the centre of the decoration... But the scene thus lost its original meaning! For a long time, art historians, disconcerted by this four-figure Trinity, spoke of "theological boldness". It was only by chance, in 1998, that the original meaning of this composition was understood, when one observed the direction of the cherubs' gaze under each statue! A LATIN VERSION OF THE FAÇADE The façade of the building, protected by its large decorated roof overhang, is comparable, in a slightly simplified version, to those of other churches in the valley. Two stuccoed cartouches with Latin inscriptions are visible: on the left, it is written "He who has found Mary will find life" and on the right "Her foundations are established on the holy mountains". A final inscription can be seen on the transverse band between the cornice and the oculus: "I am the Mother of beautiful goodness". THE STATUES The statues on the left and right of the main altarpiece evoke Saint Anthony, the first patron saint of the place, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the preacher of the Blessed Virgin. Little by little, the church was enriched with five other altars, three of which had gilded altarpieces. They have now disappeared, except for the openwork columns of the left-hand altar and the magnificent frieze in relief, which represents the angels consoling the souls in Purgatory. The flowery, colourful and gilded ensemble is characteristic of the Baroque style. On the left, a statue of Saint François de Sales - bishop of Geneva and great promoter of the reform of the Catholic Church - holding a flaming heart, alludes to his "Traité de l'Amour de Dieu" published in Annecy in 1616. Take a virtual tour here: drone-de-regard.fr/vr/facim/74_contamines.html

A côté de l'église de Saint-Nicolas, l'exposition permanente du Musée d’art Sacré présente une cinquantaine d’objets, allant du 18ème au 19ème siècle, retraçant l’histoire du village !Cette collection unique (sculptures, tableaux, objets d'orfèvrerie, vêtements liturgiques) provient, en grande partie, de la générosité et de la foi des Saint-Nicolatains, expatriés dans les pays alémaniques. Entre le XVe et le XVIIIe siècle, les difficultés de la vie en montagne poussent certains habitants à partir vers les « Allemagnes » ou en Italie, pour gagner leur vie comme colporteurs ou artisans. Certains d'entre eux tirent leur épingle du jeu et s'installent comme Bourgeois-Marchands dans les grandes villes européennes. Ils font alors des dons importants à leur paroisse d'origine, participant ainsi à la richesse des décors des églises et chapelles du territoire ! Pour les familles, des jeux des 7 erreurs et des livrets-jeux sont disponibles à l'accueil pour découvrir les collections de façon ludique ! Pendant les vacances, des visites commentées de l'église et du musée d'art sacré ont généralement lieu le vendredi à 15h, et des visites commentées du musée sont possibles tout au long de l'année à la demande.