1. Corbelin and its heritage

– The Notre-Dame de Compassion church: priory church whose origins certainly date back to the 1640th century. In 1836, the church was rebuilt under the name of Notre-Dame de la Compassion. In XNUMX, it was enlarged with an aisle encroaching on the interior courtyard. Of the old building from the Middle Ages, only the lower parts of the bell tower and the old sacristy remain, which became the chapel of the Sisters of Providence and then the Guiguet Museum.
Dominating the village with its imposing facade and turrets, it perfectly illustrates the eclectic style of the period with its furniture, its painted decor and its 13 magnificent glass roofs signed by Grenoble glass master Bernard.

– The building of the old priory and the bell tower complete the entire Notre-Dame de Compassion church: the priory, founded in Corbelin by Ponce, bishop of Belley in 1129, dependent on that of Ordénas (Ain) and Saint-Ruf.

– La Maison-Forte de Champ Levey (private site), route de la Magnanerie, dating from the 15th century with its sundials. Also listed as a departmental heritage site, it can also be visited during Heritage Days.

– The Town Hall: it was inaugurated on September 11, 1910. The imposing Campanile is the tallest building in the village. It was renovated between 2018 and 2020. An exhibition space has been set up within the town hall (exhibition: Corbelin, city of silk); you can also find a perfectly preserved land register from 1838, a Guiguet motorcycle and a Marianne created by Jacques France, famous sculptor of the Third Republic.

– The war memorial: inaugurated in 1924.

– Corbelin, once nicknamed “City of Silk”: Corbelin is a village deeply marked by the textile industry, and in particular silk.
We find expressions linked to textiles in many street names: la Ristourne, Trinqueballe, les Rondiers, le Mûrier.

Many industrialists have left their name to public spaces: Clos Donat (named after Georges Donat, patron of the early 20th century, benefactor who involved the entire village in the marriage of his daughter but also Joseph Brosse.
The textile remains: the Romatière factory (visible from rue du Soldat d'Espagne) preserved as it is with its sheds and chimney (cannot be visited); the Rondiers media library, located in a former building of the Donat factory. You can see a vestige of the Donat factory chimney, on display at the media library. The media library is also a place for cultural events (theatre, exhibitions, concerts) with a biannual program of events which take place at the Marie-Josephe Lenault cultural space.

A textile route was created when Corbelin belonged to the CC de la Chaîne des Tisserands.

If you want to know more about Corbelin, 2 books written by the heritage commission are on sale at the Rondiers media library: “Corbelin yesterday and today” and “Corbelin: The Great War”. The theme of the second book being the 14-18 war in Corbelin and the commemoration of the 100th anniversary in 2018.


2. The Guiguet family and illustrious people of Corbelin

The history of the town has been marked by the Guiguet family, and more precisely by François and Marcel.

The famous painter François Guiguet (1860-1937), born in 1860 in Corbelin, distinguished himself in the painting of portraits, landscapes and scenes of daily life. Disciple of Ravier and member of the Lyon school. His works were transferred to Maison Ravier Morestel.

His nephews:
– Marcel Guiguet, creator of the “L’hirondelle” motorcycle sought after by collectors. He marked the history of Corbelin with his spirit of innovation. This pioneer contributed to the development of the motorcycle industry, notably with the creation of the MGC brand, famous for its innovative motorcycles for the time. In order to promote his brand, of which he created around twenty models, Marcel did not hesitate to take part in numerous races and even won the Paris/Pyrénées/Paris. The workshop is classified as a remarkable house by the department of Isère and can be visited during Heritage Days.
– Joseph-Henri Guiguet, his brother; aviator of the First World War.



3. The Corbelin wetlands

– The Etang de la Rivoire: The tranquility of the Etang de la Rivoire (open all year round) is very popular with fishing enthusiasts, residents or visitors. To fish there, get a year-round or daily fishing license (available on the Corbelin Fishing and Leisure website). Please note that several species are protected and cannot be fished (inquire in advance with Pêche et Loisirs de Corbelin).

– The town is also home to the Corbelin wetland, a classified and protected area for its biodiversity. Among the rare plant species, you can find one of the only carnivorous plants in the region, the long-leaved sundew!

Free access.