Le Reposoir (; frp, Le Rpojeû) is a commune 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 ...
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 and t ...
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 ar ...
.
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 Ann ...
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 k ...
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, in 1922. She then converted to Catholicism and entered the
Carmelite
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
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
The Pointe Percée (lit.: pierced point) is the highest mountain in the Aravis range of the French Prealps in Haute-Savoie. It rises to 2753 meters and has 1643 m of prominence, and is thus is classified as an ultra prominent peak. Its first docum ...
(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 ...
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 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 consist ...
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.