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tullins

West nave

The stoup next to you is made of marble. Its history remains to be discovered. (cf. 1)

Two crosses are engraved in the concrete floor of the nave, in the area near the entrance, suggesting the existence of burials in the church. Outside the baptismal font chapel, an almost-buried lintel is a clue to the presence of a crypt beneath the baptismal font chapel. Athénulphe de Poitiers, Lord of Tullins, donated the church to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Vienne in 1091, but his burial site has not been precisely located (cf. 2 below).

When building the chapels, the Benedictines built on the foundations of the Romanesque church, creating pillars and porches for access (cf. 3).

On the other side, they maintained the continuity of the Romanesque wall, creating only small openings to disparate, characterless chapels. The adjacent cemetery prevented them from building a symmetrical church. It was only in 1866 that the present openings were created, and the lower nave built. (cf. 4)

On the left, the arches supporting the nave vaults rest on the strongest parts of the Romanesque wall. These supports are not quite opposite the pillars at the chapel entrances on the south wall, which causes the nave keystones to be misaligned (cf. 5).

The first chapel-side abutment was completely rebuilt in the 19th century, and bears the date of its restoration: 1866. As was often the case when the nave was built, the other bases depict animals or angels (cf. 7). The base in photo no. 9 is unusual in the difference in scale between the medallion depicting the subject and the hand on the left, which appears to be supporting it. (cf. 9)

tullins

10. Two first and last stations
of the Way of the Cross

In the early 20th century, a parishioner donated the Way of the Cross to the parish. The first two and last two stations are in the choir. The other scenes from Christ's Passion adorn the entire nave (cf. 10).

Together with the second floor of the bell tower, the porch is the only vestige of the Romanesque church, whose construction began before the year 1000 (cf. 11 below).

Under the porch is an engraved and sealed stone, thanking the lord "de Moreste" for a donation made to the parish's poor in the 16th century (cf. 12).

Let's turn now to the basse-nef. The former chapelle de l'Assomption is now occupied by an altar in memory of the victims of the 1914-1918 war. Sculpted by Tardy, it bears the names of those who died in the parish during the Great War (cf. 13).

A statue of the Virgin Mary crushing the serpent, symbol of evil, is placed on this altar. Its history and original location are unknown. (cf. 14)

Behind the altar, the Capuchin chapel, now only accessible from the outside, leads up to the bell tower via a staircase dating from 1866.
(cf. 15 below)

tullins

15.Stairway to the bell tower, in the Capuchin chapel

Behind the altar, the Capuchin chapel, now only accessible from the outside, leads up to the bell tower via a staircase dating from 1866 (cf. 15 below).

The second floor of the bell tower houses the Saint-Michel chapel, whose loopholes attest to its defensive function before 1100, as well as to the layout of the original bell tower, which protrudes from the nave (cf. 16).

On the second floor, the clock, dated 1756, is one of two mechanisms listed in Isère's Monuments Historiques inventory.

On the floor of the second floor, we find a stone weight that drove the clock mechanism. The plaque affixed to the clock indicates that it was made by Claude Sylvestre, a famous family of clockmakers from Grenoble. (see 17 to 19 below)

On the top floor of the bell tower are the three bells, recast in 1869 after the largest broke. The earliest information on the bells dates from 1625, but bells probably existed before then (cf. 20).

Back to the lower nave, whose arches are supported by abutments dating from 1866. Below this, you can see a trace of the gas installation that lit the church from 1877 onwards (cf. 21).

Further on, you'll find a harmonium donated by Madame Perret. Inaugurated on September 15, 1866. It was made by Hippolyte César Beaucourt in 1865. It was restored thanks to our association in 2009, by Dominique Promonet, organ builder from Rives. (cf. 22)

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