Notre-Dame-de-la-Vie: Baroque chapel of 1633 at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
The Notre-Dame-de-la-Vie chapel is one of the most distinctive religious monuments in Tarentaise. Located at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, less than 1km south of the village, near the hamlet of Saint-Marcel, it is a seventeenth-century Baroque sanctuary listed as a Historic Monument, standing isolated on its promontory, and the subject of an ancient local pilgrimage.
A Baroque sanctuary in the mountains
The current chapel was constructed between 1633 and 1680, on the site of an older sanctuary. According to legend, a stillborn child was miraculously “brought back to life” long enough to be baptised, after his mother prayed at this place: hence the name Notre-Dame-de-la-Vie.
The building is a typical example of rural Savoyard Baroque: Greek cross plan beneath a central dome crowned with a lantern. It is inside that the decorative richness is concentrated.
The Baroque altarpieces
The interior houses three altarpieces: the grand altarpiece, sculpted by the Piedmontese Jean-Marie Molino, and a side altarpiece dated 1636, considered the oldest in Tarentaise. Carved and gilded wood, scenes from the life of the Virgin. The sanctuary underwent major restoration between 2012 and 2015.
Around it, several ex-votos bear witness to continuing popular devotion: small painted panels, marble plaques, for graces received (healings, safe returns from war).
The pilgrimage
The pilgrimage of Notre-Dame-de-la-Vie remains active. Each 15 August, Assumption Day, a pilgrimage brings together the faithful and visitors. It is one of the identity-defining gatherings of the Belleville valley, bringing together locals and visitors.
Access and visiting
The chapel is accessible:
By car from Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, via the Menuires road.
On foot from the village, in approximately fifteen minutes.
The sanctuary is open throughout the year during daylight hours, the interior to be discovered partly behind a grille. Guided visits are offered by reservation. The exterior and the site are visible throughout the year.
For whom it is designed
The Notre-Dame-de-la-Vie chapel appeals to:
Visitors sensitive to Alpine Baroque heritage, who appreciate the unexpected decorative richness of a rural building.
Hikers and skiers seeking a cultural break, the site being accessible on foot from Saint-Martin.
Families with children, the short format (15 minutes of viewing) and natural setting lending themselves to an educational stop.
Planning a stay at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
AEC Collection selects and represents distinguished chalets and apartments at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and in the Belleville valley. The chapel remains a free point of interest.
By the AEC Collection team
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