La Muraz

Our country

Caracteristics

Construction & Reconstruction

Ornamentation

The pipe organ

Construction & Reconstruction

“The year MCCCCCXXXIII” (picture): such is the inscription engraved in a cartouche preserved on a pillar of the door of the church belltower in La Muraz; on the pediment of this door are also found engraved (picture) the arms of the family Gerbaix de Sonnaz (property of a Gallo-Roman named Solo). Thus it was in the year 1533 that the first church was erected. It is dedicated to Saint Martin; this proves that it is very old.

Severely damaged by a fire in 1871 which also devastated the nearby houses of the “chef-lieu” (administrative centre) they were built mostly out of wood and therefore easily burnt, it was falling into ruins; such was its state that it was decided to pull it down and build a new one, more beautiful, larger and in neo-gothic style. The first stone was laid on 23rd September 1875 and the church was completed in autumn 1877; however, the congregation was allowed in only later due to conflicts between the council and the contractors regarding defects and also due to a cyclone which on 20th February 1878 smashed the stained-glass windows and caused major damage to all the village houses and buildings.

In 1977 in order to celebrate the centennial of the church with dignity, the Association of Saint-Antoine, which was created for this occasion, undertook renovation works inside. These works started in February lasted a little less than one year and saw the intervention:

of a local craftsman, Romain Beccucci and his workers, Charles Achard mainly, who were in turn masons, painters, wrought-iron craftsmen, joiners,

of the master glassmaker Bessac who repaired the stained-glass windows and installed the very bright rose window on the north facade, a rose window incidentally financed by the village.