Saint-Pierre church, a Protestant bastion in Collonges-la-Rouge

In Collonges, we find red sandstone everywhere, even in the little Roman church put up in the 10th century.

In the 17th century, in the turmoil of the Religion wars, one of the chapel was dedicated to the Reformed religion by Gédéon de Vassignac, viscounty's governor, who changed religion to please his master, the duke de Bouillon-Turenne.

Protestants introduced this religion in Collonges from 1536. The bishop of Geneva came in the little city in 1667 in order to convert all the protestants!

Let's see the building itself, now. The portal and the bell-tower date back from the 12th century. The church was extended one century later and three chapels were added to the south in the 15th century.

A huge square tower crowned the first bay: this one was used as a defensive room communicating with a crenelated covered way. They raised the portal during wars of religion to defend the church.

In middle of this one, we can notice the Christ, the Virgin Mary and saint Peter with apostles. Above, the Ascension represented by two angels carrying the Christ to the sky.