Chiesa parrocchiale della Visitazione di Maria Vergine

The parish church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary stands in Bruil, the main settlement of Rhêmes-Notre-Dame. Founded as a chapel and later expanded, it preserves an eighteenth-century polychrome marble altar and paintings associated with its nineteenth-century decoration.

Why it matters

The church's history is closely tied to the formation of the commune. When the chapel at Bruil became a parish in 1650, it took the title Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, which later passed to the village. The building's successive reconstructions reflect its growing role in the community.

What to notice

The church has a Latin-cross plan with a single nave and side altars beneath arches at the crossing. The raised presbytery retains two canvases depicting the sacrifice of Abraham and the sacrifice of Melchisedec. The eighteenth-century high altar is made of polychrome marble and includes a tabernacle and a small throne for the sacrament. The bell tower was rebuilt with the church in 1680.

Context and history

A chapel stood at Bruil by the first half of the fifteenth century. The bishop of Aosta consecrated a rebuilt chapel on 2 June 1495 and permitted baptisms and burials the following year. The parish was established in 1650. The church and tower were rebuilt in 1680, then enlarged in 1839. Stornone of Ivrea decorated the interior in 1864; restoration in 1896 replaced much of that decoration, while the two presbytery canvases survived. The dedication changed from the Conception of the Virgin to the Assumption in 1715 and to the Visitation in 1810.