A lift for Bellelay

The provost of Moutier-GrandvalI, Siginand, built the abbey "belle Laie" in the Middle Ages, which was destroyed by fire several times in the course of its history and whose glorious era only began in the 18th century. An abbey church was also built, but it was profaned after the occupation by French troops at the end of the century.

The various buildings now went to different owners and so the abbey church served as a brewery, glassworks, stables, barn and warehouse until the entire complex was bought up by the canton of Bern a century later. The abbey now served as an asylum for the mentally ill, which gave rise to today's Psychiatric Services Biel-Seeland - Bernese Jura.

The abbey church was extensively restored in 1960 and has been a venue for a variety of cultural events for years. In order to make better use of it, a lift has now been installed in the eye of the existing wooden staircase to mark the 300th anniversary of the Fondation de l'Abbatiale de Bellelay. This required various considerations in terms of climatic conditions and aesthetics.