Eglise Notre-Dame de Toute Grace, Passy

The church of Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce du Plateau d'Assy is a Roman Catholic church in France, constructed on the plateau d'Assy between 1937 and 1946. It faces Mont Blanc, and is within the territory of the commune of Passy, in the Haute-Savoie department. Constructed at the urging of canon Jean Devémy and designed by the Savoyard architect Maurice Novarina, the church is celebrated for its decoration, contributed by some of the best-known artists of the twentieth century. It is also viewed as an important landmark in the development of modern sacred art; its consecration in 1950 caused much consternation within the ranks of the clergy of France, who had hitherto been accustomed to more traditionally classical structures.On June 11, 2004, Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce du Plateau d'Assy was classed as a monument historique de France.HistoryBefore World War II, the plateau d'Assy was known as a spa area, and was especially popular with sufferers of tuberculosis. At one point close to twenty sanatoriums could be found in the area. Some of these were equipped with small chapels, while others were visited by chaplains who catered to the sick. There was, however, no church for the area.