Le Reposoir (; frp, Le Rpojeû) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in south-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Situated at the foot of the

Col de la Colombière Col de la Colombière (elevation 1613 m) is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Haute-Savoie in France. It connects Cluses in the Arve valley with Le Grand-Bornand in the Bourne valley. The road then leads further to Annecy ...

and is known as one of the most picturesque regions of the Savoyard Pre-Alps. The Foron River runs through the valley and is a tributary of the

Arve The Arve (french: L'Arve, ) is a river in France (''département'' of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long, of which 9 km in Switzerland. Its catchment area is , of which 80 km2 ...

River.

History

The history of the village is often confused with the foundation of the Chartreuse monastery, founded in 1151 at the behest of Aymon I de Faucigny. The monks cleared and valued the land for farming and established the pastoral and agricultural life, which in turn brought inhabitants seeking a life of work and prayer. ''Le Reposoir'' means 'The Resting Place'.

Monuments

The Chartreuse monastery is situated in a wooded cirque within, though aside, from Le Reposoir village. Overlooking a picturesque lake, the tranquillity of the monastery is a popular attraction of Le Reposoir. Founded in 1151 by Jean d'Espagne at the behest of Aymon I de Faucigny, the monastery survived many trials and tribulations, including the French Revolution, various levels of destruction and pillaging over the ages and finally expulsion of the monks in 1901, after which it was transformed into a hotel. The Chartreuse was bought by Alessandra di Rudinì, daughter of former Italian Prime Minister

Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì Antonio Starrabba (o Starabba), Marquess of Rudinì (16 April 18397 August 1908) was an Italian statesman, Prime Minister of Italy between 1891 and 1892 and from 1896 until 1898. Biography Early life and patriotic activities He was born in Pal ...

, in 1922. She then converted to Catholicism and entered the Carmelite order. In 1932 the restored Chartreuse became Carmelite. The Chartreuse monastery now houses approximately twenty nuns.

Activities

The village is the point of departure for hiking to the summit of Pointe Percée (Summit of the

Aravis Aravis is a fictional character in 1954 novel '' The Horse and His Boy'' by C. S. Lewis. Aravis is a young Tarkheena, a female member of the ruling nobility of Calormen. With her horse, Hwin, who is revealed to be a talking beast from the l ...

Ranges) as well as many other regional hikes. Skiing is a popular activity in the village - the village houses its own ski lift and neighbours

Le Grand-Bornand Le Grand-Bornand (; frp, Bornan) is a commune in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie. The commune is a ski resort and takes its name from the river that runs through it. The inhabitants of Le Grand-Bornand are called Bornandins. Geo ...

ski resort. Rock climbing surrounds the village, with a number of popular cliff faces within easy driving distance. Le Reposoir is also a thoroughfare for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

and a very popular route for cyclists.

Personalities

Setting of an episode of Pierre Bonte's celebrated "Bonjour Monsieur le Maire" in 1967.

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

, former President of France, chose Le Reposoir as the site of celebrations for his fourth anniversary of his election to the Presidency of the Republic of France.

References