The Place du Marché is one of the busiest parts of Carouge – people like to gather here for a bite to eat, a drink, or just to socialize and the Eglise Sainte Croix is situated right on it.

According to the Unité Pastorale Cardinal Journet:

The history of the parish is closely linked to that of the Sardinian city and its church. In the mid-eighteenth century, the King of Sardinia decided to create a city on the borders of his Kingdom, facing the opulent Geneva. Victor-Amédée III entrusted the architect Giuseppe Piacenza (Plaisance) with drawing up a master plan for Carouge and coming up for a design for a church.

The royal intent was to create a grand and majestic church which would become the center of the city; It would be its most important monument. Work began in October 1777. Soon work on the ground and water table, engendered heavy expenses which compromised the complete realization of the Plaisance plan. On June 11, 1780, Msgr. Biord, Bishop of Geneva residing in Annecy, blessed the royal church of the City of Carouge. It was classified as a historic monument in 1923, since 1979 it has been granted federal protection.

The chime of the Holy Cross church is the second largest in Switzerland, in number (36) of bells! Of the two bell-towers originally planned, according to the plans of the Italian architect Giuseppe Piacenza in 1777, only one was built, then destroyed during the French Revolution. A new bell-tower was built in the form of a campanile. It was too high, did not resist the ringing and cracked. It was replaced by a decorative bell tower and then by the current bell tower, highly enhanced in 2001.

The Carillon can be heard throughout the during the Carouge Market on Saturday morning around 11 am. At the keyboard, Constant Deschenaux, in charge of the carillon, or one of his colleagues Andreas Friedrich or Yves Roure.

Three Saturdays every year the City of Carouge offers a thematic visit “Carouge Up High” which allows visitors to climb up the bell tower of the church Sainte-Croix.

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At the end of each summer, two concerts are offered by the City of Carouge.

The church is known as the “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” or “Glorious Cross” . It is said that King Victor-Amadeus III himself wished this dedication for the church in his royal city in memory of the high altar of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Geneva before the Reformation.

Detail of the roof.

View of the rear of the church from the Place de Sardaigne.

Taken with my Son-in-Law’s Nikon, D80 and Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 lens.