Church of Mase

The first church of Mage (official name until 1898) dates back to the 13th century. There are few documents on this subject, but we know that the existence of a parish church ("paochia de Magi") is not attested before 1255. In 1261, the parish priest was named Guillaume. In 1290, Pierre, the parish priest, signed the deed of transfer to the Chapter of the seigniorial rights of Henri de la Tour in the commune of Mage. It is likely that the choice of Saint Mary Magdalene as the patron saint of the parish was influenced by the devotion to this penitent of the Burgundian abbey of Vézelay. In 1705, Bishop François-Joseph Supersaxo supervised the beginning of the construction of the second church, the old one having become dilapidated and too small. 

At the end of the 19th century, the building was in a very bad state of repair. It required urgent repairs that were postponed from year to year. It was the shock of the disaster at the church in Nax on 10 January 1909 (collapse of the vault during mass - 31 deaths) that determined the decision to build a new church, keeping the bell tower which was built between 1738 and 1749. 

The third church was consecrated in 1912 by Mgr Jules Abbet. The interior is of neo-baroque inspiration. The nave stands out for its originality. But this building is not aging well: its foundations are poorly laid and cracks are appearing. The earthquake of 25 January 1946 aggravated its defects.

The present church, a mixed solution combining tradition and modernity, was consecrated on 25 September 1988 by Mgr Henri Schwéry. The choir, the baroque high altar from the 18th century, the sacristy and the renovated bell tower remain from the old church. The bell tower was built between 1738 and 1749. It therefore dates from the second church.

Ref: Les Sanctuaires de Nax, Verrnamiège, Mase et St Martin, Catherine Raemy-Berthod. Essai d'histoire de la Vallée d'Hérens, A. Gaspoz and J.-E. Tamini.