Church of Chambon-sur-Lac

The church is located in the center of the village of Chambon-sur-lac, close to the D637 road. Dating from the 12th century, it is oriented and built on an elongated plan ending in a semicircular apse with a slate roof. The porch, rebuilt in the 15th century, backs onto the(…)

The church is located in the center of the village of Chambon-sur-lac, close to the D637 road. Dating from the 12th century, it is oriented and built on an elongated plan ending in a semicircular apse with a slate roof. The porch, rebuilt in the 15th century, backs onto the old Romanesque façade.

Dedicated to Saint-Etienne, the church evokes the stoning of the saint (first patron saint of the parish) on the tympanum of the western façade (tympanum listed as a Historic Monument). Inside, a long nave with pointed arch vaulting has no aisles. The church has no transept: the nave communicates directly with the choir, which is surmounted by a cul-de-four vault.

However, the church retains numerous statues dating from the 15th to 18th centuries, including an 18th-century painted and gilded wooden statue depicting the education of the Virgin Mary and a bronze bell dating from 1533.

The site has been altered several times, and excavations in 1882 uncovered 3 successive pavements. The village of Chambon is built on drained marshland, and the church sinks a few centimetres every century. The original paving is 1.80 meters below the entrance.

In the church square stands a 16th-century lava cross resting on a cubic pedestal. The head of the cross has square arms adorned with small leaves and ending in cabbages (Monuments Historiques).

Group visits by prior arrangement with Madame GUILLIOT Christiane, tel. 04 73 88 65 23 or 06 19 72 84 13.