Baroque Trail - mountain bike itinerary

The construction of Cupelin Chapel was funded by all the inhabitants of this hamlet in 1654. Its patron saints are the Virgin Mary and Saint Guarinus, patron saint of animals.The construction of Cupelin Chapel was funded by all the inhabitants of this hamlet in 1654. Its patron saints are the Virgin Mary and Saint Guarinus, patron saint of animals. A large mission cross is found at the entrance. It features the instruments from The Passion: the spear that impaled His body, the dice the soldiers used to cast for His robe, and the crown of thorns He was forced to wear. In 2015, a set of 12 stained contemporary glass windows created by Father Kim En Joong was installed. Kim En Joong is a Korean artist who has developed a spiritual art form based on light and colour. His works combine Far-East forms and Western colours.

The Chapel of La Combe was founded by two inhabitants, Jean and Balthasard Berthier, in 1685

The Chapel of the Chattrix is one of the Baroque gems in the Montjoie Valley. It was built in 1694 and reworked between 1720 and 1723 through a donation from the Genamy brothers—peddlers originally from Saint-Nicolas who prospered and became merchants in Vienna, Austria.The Chapel of the Chattrix is one of the Baroque gems in the Montjoie Valley. It was built in 1694 and reworked between 1720 and 1723 through a donation from the Genamy brothers—peddlers originally from Saint-Nicolas who prospered and became merchants in Vienna, Austria. Saint Donat and Saint Leonard are its patron saints. Classified as a historical monument in 1976, the chapel is decorated with a beautiful painted façade: vases of flowers, finials, inscriptions in the cartouches, and trompe-l'oeil architectural elements. The interior of the chapel contains beautifully preserved painted decorations on the walls, reflecting the images on the façade, as well as sculptures in the choir and ten18th-century paintings.

The decision to build the chapel in Les Plans was made in 1681, but the building was not constructed until 1709. It started thanks to Joseph Mollard, priest and doctor in theology, originating from the hamlet of Les Plans.Located at 1100 m in altitude, it seems to be the work of a travelling architect originally from Valsesia in Piedmont. This chapel is small and squat. Its façade is decorated with medallion inscriptions that are also found on the interior ceiling, reflecting religious maxims or invitations to prayer

Probably one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Savoy, it is listed as a historic monument. Recently restored, it now looks as good as new. The gold-leaf gilding, carved wood and polychromy will delight your eyes.Fabulous Baroque decor. Notre Dame de l'Assomption church was built between 1781 and 1787. Its balanced, vigorous silhouette is refined by a bulbous bell tower with openwork lantern and twin bays resting on median columns. The last fire in 1973 was a major one, requiring the intervention of the "Monuments Historiques", who listed the building in 1974 and financed the reconstruction of the bell tower and a first stage of restoration. The steeple was clad in "patinated" (hot-painted) steel to imitate the rust of an 1816 tinplate. The sober exterior gives no hint of the superb Baroque decoration. Baroque aims to astonish and dazzle, and it achieves this through the effects of light and movement. The furniture, paintings and architecture are designed to evoke a strong sense of beauty, while at the same time suggesting that this earthly beauty is merely an illusion in the face of the true beauty of the divine world. Gilding, gold leaf, carved wood, polychromy - nothing is too beautiful to affirm faith. It borrows its azure from heaven, its purple from blood and its light from gold. The paintings, pictures and statues in our church tell the whole story of Christianity, and allow us to relive it in a few moments, especially the story of the Virgin Mary. drone-de-regard.fr/vr/facim/74_cordon.html

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!

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.