Saint-Etienne Church

Above the lake, a pointed bell tower stands out against the sky. A sculpted portal invites you to go further... to discover a building in which the decorations of successive centuries complement each other in beautiful harmony.

From the top of its mound, the 12th-century bell tower, with its geminated bays topped with Lombard arcatures, still dominates the village districts scattered across the slope and the Moûtiers basin...
When the building was refurbished in the 17th century, G. Cocher, a master carpenter from the village, carved the stone portal with an interrupted pediment arch, surmounted by a statue of the Virgin and Child.
The entire painted decoration, restored in 1990, was created by the Artari brothers in 1860. They painted the vaults of the nave and choir: their decoration, full of finesse, features holy figures and symbolic representations illustrating the foundations of the faith.
At the back of the choir, the main altarpiece was created in 1825 by Gilardi and Schira, sculptors from Valsesia in Piedmont: four columns with smooth shafts frame the central painting depicting the two Saints Stephen, one a pope and the other a martyr.
In the side aisles, the two altarpieces of Saint Anthony and the Rosary have better preserved the Baroque aesthetic of the 17th century.
Of particular note in the right-hand aisle is a carved wooden bas-relief painted in the 19th century and imported from Italy, depicting the Nativity surrounded by numerous figures and animals.