Located in the town centre, in this church you can admire:
There are traces of a chapel from the early Evangelization days (around the 6th century) on the shores of Lake Léman. Dedicated to Saint-Étienne (1st martyr), in the 9th century it housed a relic of Sainte-Anne, according to legend it was a reward received by Tristan de la Chapelle, Lord of the Manor.
Transferred in 1266 by Pierre de Savoie to the Priors of Thonon and Bellevaux, it will then become an integral part of the castle’s history that is constructed in the neighbouring area.
The chapel was decorated entirely by Father Igor, a world renown specialist in iconography, and his students. Built in the 1960s this orthodox chapel was aquired by the municipality in October 2011, to include it in the cultural itinerary. Currently, the chapel is being refurbished and is not open for visits but it is visible from the outside.
It owes its sober and low-profiled tent shape to the architect Maurice Novarina. It is capped with an imposing copper roof that reminds us of its proximity to nearby campsites. Inside we discover a magnificent altarpiece in polychrome wood measuring 10m by 3m made by the artist André Poirson.
Sitting on the edge of the lake at the West entrance to Evian, there is a charming colonial style house dating back to 1870. It borders onto a wooded park that spreads out over 3.5 hectares and was restored by the landscaper Laurent Daune. This is a unique site for discovering the beauty of the wetlands. There are visits in an electro-solar powered boat leaving from Évian. Its water gardens were awarded the title, “Remarkable Garden”, in 2005.
It is designed around various ecosystems: a stream, pond, marshland, wetlands and a delta that shelters wildlife and flora as unique as they are varied. There are a multitude of perennials where amphibians and aquatic insects proliferate.
Every year new species appear (fire salamanders, green frogs).
Access is by solar-powered boat only.
Following the death of the poet, Anna de Noailles, her friends arranged to have a votive temple built in the Bassaraba Villa gardens (between Evian and Publier), designed by the architect Emilio Terry.
This small pink-stoned open-top temple includes six double pillars arranged in a circle around a central column hosting a gilded urn and brought together with a conical-shaped roof, similar to a Temple of Love; the urn bears this quatrain, which is the beginning of her famous poem, “Paradise in Amphion” that she wrote especially to be engraved here in her temple: “Stranger who will come when I am dead, Contemplate my Lake Geneva, Let my fervour be, From now on exhorts you, To love what I see”.
The votive garden (open to the public), goes down to the river edge.
The municipal exhibition space invites numerous artists, events and cultural attractions throughout the year.
It is situated inside La Cité de l’Eau sports complex.
Discover navigation aboard the world’s largest lateen-rigged sailboat. La Savoie is a replica of a boat built in 1896 at Belote near Geneva by Prudent Borcard for the Peray de Meillerie family where it had its home port. More information on excursions and visits can be found at the Publier Tourist Office.
Once a thermal spa, this Évian heritage gem houses an exhibition space and an internationally renowned conference centre. Many exhibitions are shown here every year, especially “Lumière! Film Invented”, see it until 6th September 2020.
Guided tours are organised daily at 2:30 pm. It is also possible to visit the Palais Lumière freely between 10:00 am-7:00 pm (except Monday, where visits are closed between 2:00-7:00 pm).
There are different price rates. However, for children under 16 years old entrance is free.
Discover around Publier the 40 unmissable sites in Chablais: churches and chapels, parks and theatres. Don’t miss our favourite ♥︎: the splendour of the Villa Lumière in Évian-les-bains.