Collégiale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Nicolas de Briançon, 18th-century parish church in Briançon, France
The Collégiale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Nicolas is a baroque church with a symmetrical facade featuring two square towers decorated with sundials and a two-story central section. Inside, the nave and choir are framed by dark marble elements in the Tuscan style.
A 15th-century church here was destroyed in 1692 during the War of the League of Augsburg. Vauban sent plans for a new church in a letter of 26 July 1703; work began in 1705. The architect, a protégé of Vauban, vanished with the plans and an advance payment, was found, and completed the church under Vauban's supervision. It was finished in 1718 and consecrated in 1726.
The interior elevations include Tuscan-style elements made of dark marble, with an entablature framing the nave and choir.
The church stands on place du Temple in Briançon's old town, reachable on foot through the fortified streets. A restoration programme launched in 2017 is planned to run for twenty years, so scaffolding may cover parts of the building and access can be limited.
The left tower's sundial dates from 1719 and is carved in the Baroque manner; the right tower carries a later one. Look also at the painted vault of the nave, pale green with grey banding, which contrasts with the stone-tiled aisle and the dark wooden pulpit fixed to a grey marble pillar.
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