The Church of St. Théodule (french: église Saint-Théodule; german: St. Theodul) is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church located in
Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Pl ...
in the canton of
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
Location
The church is located in the historic center of Sion, south from the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Sion.
History
![Sion, Eglise Saint-Théodule 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Sion%2C_Eglise_Saint-Th%C3%A9odule_2.jpg)
The first church on the site was built during the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
on the ruins of a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
bath.
The current building was built from 1514 to 1516 on the site of a former building. The vault of the choir (before 1502 – finished in 1514), symbolic of the
Flamboyant Gothic
Flamboyant (from ) is a form of late Gothic architecture that developed in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, from around 1375 to the mid-16th century. It is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in the bar-tr ...
style, was made by a builder from
Valsesia
Valsesia ( pms, Valsesia; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol''; it, Valle della Sesia) is a group of valleys in the north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Vercelli, Italy; the principal valley is that of the river Sesia.
The major towns located h ...
[ who was identified with , perhaps erroneously.][ The ]nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
was vaulted in 1644 by Adrien III of Reidmatten. The church was renovated in 1960–64.[
The church was listed among the Cultural Property of National Significance.
]
Description
The church has a single nave and a polygonal choir. The buttresses which support the nave have niches and canopies for statues, though most have been removed. A small stair tower is built into the southern wall on the western end of the church.[
]
See also
* List of cultural property of national significance in Switzerland: Valais
References
[.]
External links
Website of the German-speaking parish of St. Theodul
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of St. Theodule, Sion
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1516
Cultural property of national significance in Valais
16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Switzerland