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 heritage 

heritage : land of art and creed


guide Christiane Durand
A taste of paradise! That is the promise of “baroque” religious art, which culminated in Savoie in the 17th and 18th centuries – a golden age for the production of reredoses, including a rare example in the church of Saint Michel in Lanslevillard.

 
 

Lanslevillard : the baroque explosion
retable du Rosaire à Lanslevillard

Harsh reality and darkness on the outside – and lavish gold and azure ornamentation inside. The artistic expression of the Catholic Reformation which stemmed from the Council of Trent, was understandably popular in the Maurienne region, at a time when the “Little Ice Age” cruelly followed on the heels of the plague. In fact, the Catechism of the Council of Trent is based on a comforting representation of paradise: a heavenly Jerusalem populated with angels and saints, gathered around the Virgin. The liturgy perfectly suited the spirituality of the mountain population and their thirst for the intercession and protection of the saints. The reredos, with its gilded twisted columns symbolizing the legendary Temple of Salomon, occupies a central position in baroque scenography. Its original model, the monumental bronze baldachin over the high altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome (1624), was designed by Bernini. Many examples are found in Savoie thanks to the original talents of the local artistic dynasties (Clappier in Bessans, Rey in Termignon, Thabeur in Villarodin, Rosaz, Portaz and many others).

The reredos of the Rosary in Lanslevillard bears the signature of one of the most renowned amongst them: Jean Clappier, a sculptor and painter from Bessans. This is an early example (1627) with fluted columns, according to the canons of the day, which evolved over time. It is said that a single gilt reredos could cost as much as the price of 100 cows.


for further information

The Baroque Space and the Paths of the Baroque
www.lemuseevirtueldespaysdesavoie.fr