Église de Rivière l’Evêque

English translation

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History

The church of Rivière l'Evêque was founded in the second half of the 12th century by Etienne VI de Mercoeur, of a powerful family widely possessing property in Auvergne and in the Velay. He gave it to the monastery of Augustinians of Saint-Laurent d'Oulx (Piedmont), in memory of Etienne's father, Odilon, who died and was buried in this monastery. It had the particular feature of housing two superimposed sanctuaries: an upper chapel, dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, venerated by the monks, and a lower chapel dedicated to saint Magdalene, venerated by the Mercoeurs. The building was raised at an unknown date to house a main dwelling, which has since been razed.

Description

The church presents itself externally as a high tower comparable to the seigneurial towers built in the region at that time, equipped with buttresses and pierced by narrow round-arched openings. The buildings of the adjoining priory have been demolished. The two superimposed chapels are covered with barrel vaults. The upper chapel presents some traces of painted decoration on fragments of render (frieze on the side walls, scrollwork in the window embrasures, sky with blue background and traces of inlay on the vault). Of the building constructed subsequently in raised height, only the beginning of its access staircase remains.