Saint-Barthélémy du Laisinant Chapel

Built prior to 1633, during a pastoral visit, the bishop ordered the villagers to take care of the building by closing it to stop animals from straying inside! Thanks to the proceeds from a meadow behind the chapel, Anne-Marie Guiller enabled Mass to be held on the feast day of the patron saint. In the chapel, there used to be a painting of the Virgin and Child which, after being restored, has been placed on the Epistle wall in the church chancel. St Bartholomew is shown with his curved knife; the Virgin, breastfeeding, can be seen to the right in the middle ground. Who was St Bartholomew? The Patron Saint of butchers, tanners and binders, St Bartholomew is also revered by farmers. His feast day is 24 August. In iconography, Bartholomew carries his own skin as he was flayed alive. Sometimes he is depicted holding the large knife that was used for this torture. According to Arnold Van Gennep, "St Bartholomew is a time-honoured saint in all of the dioceses in Savoie."