Cultural heritage Eglise St Géraud

In the late 11th or early 10th century, the priory of Saillans with its church dedicated to St. Peter/St. Paul was founded near the Roman road leading from the Rhone valley to the Mont Genèvre pass by Géraud, Count of Aurillac, during one of his pilgrimages to Rome, and was the origin of the present-day village of Saillans. During the Wars of Religion, the church was severely damaged: in 1575, the bell tower was sapped, dragging down part of the north wall and the nave vault. The convent buildings and cloister adjoining the church's southern flank were completely destroyed. However, a clearly visible trace of the door leading to the monks' dormitory (12th century) remains on the south wall near the chapel of the Virgin. The present-day building retains its Latin cross plan and the characteristics of a Romanesque church: a single nave, transept, apse and apsidioles in the sober, functional architecture typical of Romanesque art in the ancient diocese of Die. The church was listed as a historic monument on October 8, 1919. Since 1994, a group of local residents have been working to save this heritage building in the heart of the village, and have set up the Présage association. Since 2021, work has been underway: the south wall has been completed, the apse and apses to the north are being finished and, from the Place du Prieuré, the sundial has been delicately restored. Donations can be made to the Fondation du Patrimoine to help restore the painted decorations in the choir, transept and 2 chapels: www.fondation-patrimoine.org/60820