Saint-Pierre-de Clages
13 May 2021
The Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre-de-Clages (canton of Valais) is located between the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Simplon Pass, connecting the south and the north of Europe. The church was built in the first half of the 12th century. A document of Pope Eugen III (1088-1153) mentioned the church in 1153.
It is a priory of the Benedictine abbey St. Martin- d’Ainay in Lyon. This monastery belonged to the Abbey of Cluny. The architecture of Saint-Pierre-de-Clages is similar to that of Cluny. The octagonal tower and the interior bear strong resemblances. The architecture also shows Burgundian and Lombardian elements of Romanesque art.
The remains of medieval wall paintings are still visible in the intact interior of this beautiful three-aisled church.
(Source: H.-R. Meier, Romanische Schweiz, 1996, Würzburg).