The Vigny Chapel

The Saint-Théodule chapel in the hamlet of Vigny in Samoëns was built by the village councilors in 1675.

The religious building was constructed from the ruins of an old chapel built in 1499, not far from there, at the Crest of Gimbel, near the Combe. The chapel of Vigny was dedicated to Notre Dame and Saint-Théodule. Many churches and chapels are dedicated to Saint-Théodule. Not only in Savoie ( at Vigny, Abondance, Thyez, etc.), but also in Switzerland (at Sion, Orsières, Gruyères, Grimentz, Ile d'Ogoz, etc.) or in the French Jura massif. Saint-Théodule is a popular saint in Valais, evoked to protect himself from lightning and storms.

According to tradition, the bell of the Vigny chapel was buried during the Revolution. Unfortunately, as the spot of the hiding place was not found, the building had to be fitted with a new bell. On the façade of the building, there is a baptismal font and a sculpture representing the instruments of the Passion. On the right, above the baptismal font, sculpted in a flattened shape by a Dunoyer, are the instruments of the Passion of Christ. As for the bell tower, it is covered with slates.

Nowadays it is possible to visit the chapel. It is one of the nine chapels in the hamlets of Samoëns. These religious monuments benefit from the work of the "Amis des Chapelles" (Friends of the Chapels). This association, under the 1901 law, carries out a variety of activities to raise funds to help the community maintain and renovate this heritage of the Alps. Hiking trails also exist to discover chapels and hamlets, notably the one linking Le Bérouze - Mathonex - Vigny. They are signposted in yellow and have been set up by the Syndicat Intercommunal de la Vallée du Haut-Giffre and the General Council.