Читать книгу The Church of Saint-Nicolas d’Hérémence - Anne-Fanny Cotting - Страница 3

In the hills above Sion in the canton of Valais, the Hérémence Valley terminates in the Lac des Dix, a huge body of water contained by the majestic Grande-Dixence dam. Built between 1951 and 1965, with its downstream face measuring 285 metres in height, this is one of the tallest gravity dams in the world. Its construction profoundly altered the valley during the second half of the 20^th century, having an impact that was both visual and societal.

Before 1950, the local inhabitants were still almost self-sufficient, living on subsistence agriculture and animal breeding, but the dam’s gigantic construction project thrust the modern world into their valley. It was against this background that the project for a new Church of Saint-Nicolas d’Hérémence would be developed. During the 1960s, when the time came to rebuild the ancient church that had been seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1946, a modern architectural design and concrete seemed the obvious path to follow. Since its construction, many curious visitors have been attracted to the church in Hérémence, which seems to have been sculpted out of an erratic block.

The bell tower of Saint-Nicolas d’Hérémence.