Annecy has a number of churches that are interesting to visit. A walking tour suggested by the Office de Tourisme highlights many of them.

Saint Francis de Sales, son of a nobleman and both a lawyer and a priest, is well known in Annecy. The family home, a decorated orange building on the Rue Royale, is a major landmark in the town. De Sales was Bishop of Geneva in Annecy from 1601-1622.

Mme de Sales in prayer.

In the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse a plaque and a stained glass window commemorate Madame de Sales praying to God for a son. Next to the church is the former Hôtel de Ville, now a presbytery, a tall, graceful yellow building with a lovely cast iron stair rail.

Also in the Vieille Ville are the Cathédrale St-Pierre, dating from the 16th century. The pulpit and an altar are devoted to St. Francis de Sales.

The small Saint-Maurice Church dates from the 14th century and was a Dominican church.

The Saint-François Church, from the 17th century, is at the site where Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal founded the first convent of the Order of the Visitation.

You will need to leave the Vieille Ville and climb up above the Château to see the large Convent and Basilica of the Visitation, located on a hill top overlooking Annecy. This 20th century structure has stained glass windows illustrating the lives of St. Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Cantal. Their gilt copper sarcophaguses lie on either side of the Altar.

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