Ancienne abbaye du Lieu

English translation

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History

Located in the commune of Perrignier in Bas Chablais, Notre-Dame du Lieu (or of the "Petit-Lieu") is a former Cistercian abbey, which until the 16th century welcomed nuns drawn principally from the nobility of Chablais. Its foundation probably dates to the middle of the 12th century, but the first mention is from 1256. The protection and frequent visits of aristocratic families, including those of Savoie, imply the existence of reception buildings outside the enclosed space, but also explain the enlargement works carried out in the very late 14th and early 15th century: the church was then raised, giving it the height it still has today. The occupation of the premises by the Reformed in 1536 put a stop to this development, with the at least partial destruction of the choir and bell tower, and the dispersal of the community. In 1601, the Duke of Savoie authorised Ferdinand Bouvier, a Vaudois gentleman converted to Catholicism by Saint Francis of Sales, to repurchase the abbey's property which was transformed into a farming estate. In the 19th century, the buildings fell into ruin, except for the hostelry, two small structures, part of the conventional building (nuns' dormitory with chapter room) and the church, whose roof structure was remade at the expense of the vault. In 1880, the construction of the Tonkin railway line, five metres from the choir, resulted in the filling of the lower openings of the choir and probably promoted the deterioration of the nuns' lodging.

Description

The site is bordered by a railway line to the east. Opposite, to the west, is built an agricultural holding. The most imposing building is the former abbey church, built on a basilical plan with a single nave. It was raised presumably in the late 14th century, and pierced with new openings, large lancets on the north gutter wall, as well as a large rose with quadrilobed tracery on the western facade - a facade which also comprises a monumental portal in pointed arch bordered by three archivolts. 26 metres long, approximately 7 metres wide, its height reaches 16 metres. The frames and decorative elements are in molasse stone. The former vaulting was in rib vaults in molasse of which some vault springings remain. Certain windows were presumably added after the medieval period, others filled, the church being partly transformed into a dwelling and serving as a hayloft for the other half. The south gutter wall has a number of traces of connecting elements to buildings now disappeared and linking the church to the remaining conventional building, situated to the south of the choir. This still largely preserves its original openings, in round arch or pointed arch; it contains on the ground floor the chapter room, much altered, and on the upper floor, the former dormitories or cells lit by openings framed by cushioned corbels. To the north of the church choir there formerly stood a bell tower now disappeared, sheltering at its foot the chapel of Saint John the Baptist which, surviving as a vestige, was hidden in the 20th century by a small building in concrete blocks.