The abbey of Saint Maurice was built almost 1500 years ago. It is situated against a cliff in a section of the road between Geneva and the Simplon Pass. This particular site was likely to be chosen for its defensive position given by the cliff. However the planned fortification proved a failure due to rock fragments falling from the cliff onto the building. Throughout the history rockslides had an important influence causing several damages: In 1611 a huge rock fall caused a convulsion of the abbey, 1942 a rock destroyed the cross-spire and portal-nave of the building. Those slides have constantly been occurring and marked the site throughout history.
The roof gives the interior a calm and almost contemplative ambience. It is built above the fundamental buildings in order to keep the dialogue between the facades and the cliff face.
The architectural engineering of the roof contains three king posts, which are anchored in the face of the cliff. The mass of stones put on top of the structure enables the absorption of windblasts.
