Churches and Chapels
In Bardonecchia there are 53 religious buildings scattered throughout the valleys above 3000 meters
Church of St Andrew the Apostle
The church is located in the hamlet of Millaures. Just above the first group of houses, turn left and continue for a few hundred metres.
The old church was built when the parish was founded in 1477. The present building is the result of an almost complete rebuilding in 1893-94. The bell tower, dating back to the 16th century, was built in the “Romanesque-delfinal” style, with the typical octagonal spire decorated with dormers and acroteria. One wall is marked with the date 1664.
A few metres from the parish church is situated the Chapel of St. Roch, built in compliance with the 1630 votive offering for the end of the plague.
Church of St Hippolytus
The church is situated in Borgo Vecchio on Piazza Mons. Bellando and was rebuilt between 1826 and 1829 in the same area on which stood the old Romanesque church called Santa Maria ‘ad lacum’, which had collapsed in 1806. The Romanesque bell tower is preserved on the left side, while the main bell tower with an ‘onion’ cupola was built on the right side.
The church is distinguished from the others by the singular presence of two bell towers.
On the square is the oldest fountain in the village, with the date 1651 engraved on it.
The patron saint’s day of Sant’Ippolito is celebrated on 13 August.
Church of St Hippolytus
The church is situated in Borgo Vecchio on Piazza Mons. Bellando and was rebuilt between 1826 and 1829 in the same area on which stood the old Romanesque church called Santa Maria ‘ad lacum’, which had collapsed in 1806. The Romanesque bell tower is preserved on the left side, while the main bell tower with an ‘onion’ cupola was built on the right side.
The church is distinguished from the others by the singular presence of two bell towers.
On the square is the oldest fountain in the village, with the date 1651 engraved on it.
The patron saint’s day of Sant’Ippolito is celebrated on 13 August.
Church of St Peter the Apostle
The church is situated at Rochemolles hamlet.
The first documented sources attesting to the existence of the parish dating back to 1296.
Today’s building is the result of a rebuilding and extension that took place in the mid-15th century, while the small access portico, located on the side, dates back to 1699. On the other hand, the 15th-century bell tower is part of the 15th-century structure, originally in Romanesque-Delfinal style, and deprived of its spire in 1749 due to an avalanche. The church has a single nave with an east-facing polygonal apse.
The interior of the church is dominated by some splendid works: the wooden casketed ceiling, the chancel and the baptismal font.
The celebration is celebrated on the 1st Sunday after 29 June
St. Anthony Abbot Church
The church is situated in the hamlet of Melezet
The present parish church was built between 1694 and 1698 to replace the original one, originally dating back to 1487, damaged in the fire that hit the village of Melezet in 1694.
The church, preceded by a portico with steps, has three naves with a presbytery and rectangular apse.
The bell tower, built by re-employing many materials from the ancient structure, retains the octagonal stone spire in typical Romanesque-Delfinal style.
On the small square in front of the church, there is a valuable stone fountain, with a hexagonal basin, dating from 1732.
The celebration takes place on the first Sunday in July
St. Anthony Abbot Church
The church is situated in the hamlet of Melezet
The present parish church was built between 1694 and 1698 to replace the original one, originally dating back to 1487, damaged in the fire that hit the village of Melezet in 1694.
The church, preceded by a portico with steps, has three naves with a presbytery and rectangular apse.
The bell tower, built by re-employing many materials from the ancient structure, retains the octagonal stone spire in typical Romanesque-Delfinal style.
On the small square in front of the church, there is a valuable stone fountain, with a hexagonal basin, dating from 1732.
The celebration takes place on the first Sunday in July
Church of San Lorenzo Martire
The church is situated in Les Arnauds hamlet.
The age of the building is testified by the small Romanesque bell tower. The acquisition of baptismal prerogatives in 1632 led to an initial extension of the building, which was then completely rebuilt in the first half of the 18th century. The church has a single nave with a south apse and is preceded by a small square on which a pink marble rogational cross from the mid 17th century stands.
The feast is celebrated on 10 August
Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The chapel is situated in the hamlet of Melezet, just beyond the parish church.
It was built in 1647 in honour of the Virgin and St Joseph and enlarged at successive times from 1657 to 1885. The foundation of the Carmine Chapel coincides with the construction of the ‘Confrerie du St. Scapulaire’ in 1650.
The present bell tower was rebuilt in 1669 to replace the previous one damaged by a serious fire in 1668.
The main retable (1679) and the chapel’s beautiful wooden portal, decorated with vine shoots in bas-relief, are attributed to master Jacques Jesse of Embrun.
The chapel is home to the Melezet Museum of Alpine Religious Art, which is part of the Diocesan Museum System, and houses an important collection of wooden statuary and textile jewellery, dating from the 15th to the 19th century and coming from the churches and country chapels of the Bardonecchia basin.
Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The chapel is situated in the hamlet of Melezet, just beyond the parish church.
It was built in 1647 in honour of the Virgin and St Joseph and enlarged at successive times from 1657 to 1885. The foundation of the Carmine Chapel coincides with the construction of the ‘Confrerie du St. Scapulaire’ in 1650.
The present bell tower was rebuilt in 1669 to replace the previous one damaged by a serious fire in 1668.
The main retable (1679) and the chapel’s beautiful wooden portal, decorated with vine shoots in bas-relief, are attributed to master Jacques Jesse of Embrun.
The chapel is home to the Melezet Museum of Alpine Religious Art, which is part of the Diocesan Museum System, and houses an important collection of wooden statuary and textile jewellery, dating from the 15th to the 19th century and coming from the churches and country chapels of the Bardonecchia basin.