PASSY
Stage town for the first time
Municipality of Haute-Savoie (74)
Population: 11,350
Specialities: fondue, raclette, polenta, croziflette, farcement.
Personalities: Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse or Georges Rouault (painters of the church ND du Plateau d'Assy). Marie Curie (who died in Passy), Igor Stravinsky (composer, who took the waters in Passy), Jean-Paul Le Chanois (film director), Annabella (actress). Jean Martinet (cyclist).
Sport: skiing, winter sports.
Events : Tour des Pays de Savoie (cycling).
Economy: health (sanatoriums). Tourism (skiing, Passy-Plaine-Joux resort). Metallurgical plant of Chedde. Hydro-electric power station.
Festivals: International Mountain Book Fair. Fête des Séchieux. Festival des Hauts-Plateaux. Festival du Film Aventure Nature Autrement.
Labels: Ville fleurie (**)
Websites / FB / Twitter / Insta: www.passy-mont-blanc.com / www.ville-passy-mont-blanc.fr
PASSY AND CYCLING
Due to its proximity to the main cycling destinations in Haute-Savoie such as Cluses and Sallanches, Passy has seen the Tour de France pass through on several occasions, last year for example during the 10th stage between Morzine and Megève, won by Magnus Cort. But the race had never stopped here. Now it is. The town has hosted stages of the Tour de la Vallée d'Aoste and the Tour des pays de Savoie (won by Spaniard Jordi Simon in 2014). Born in Passy, although Swiss, Jean Martinet, who was also a cyclo-cross specialist, took part in three editions of the Tour de France in 1924, 1938 and 1930 and finished it twice.
SIGHTS
Church of Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce on the Plateau d'Assy
Built: 1946
Style: modern art.
Architect: Maurice Novarina
History: before the Second World War, Plateau d'Assy was a renowned resort for tuberculosis patients. As early as 1935, Canon Devémy, chaplain of the Sancellemoz sanatorium, thought of building a church for the patients and staff. He launched an architectural competition in 1937, at the end of which he entrusted the construction of the church to Savoy architect Maurice Novarina, who used local materials. Canon Devémy, invited to Paris for an exhibition, fell in love with a stained-glass window by Rouault representing a Christ of the Passion. He returned to Assy and looked at the measurements of the windows in his church: Rouault's work fitted exactly into the stone frames! It was, he said, "the miracle of Assy".
Characteristics: It owes its fame to its decoration, carried out by the greatest artists of the time. Jean Bazaine, Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault, among others, participated in its design and decoration. It is considered one of the major buildings of the 20th century revival of sacred art. At the time of its consecration in 1950, this church, resolutely turned towards modern art, shocked a traditionalist part of the French clergy, accustomed to more classicism.
Listed as: Historical Monument since 2004.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Church
Built: 1486, restored in 1701 and 1869.
Style: Romanesque and Baroque.
Listed as : historical monument in 2004.
History: a Romanesque church is mentioned as early as 1012. The church was rebuilt in 1486. The choir of the present church is the remains of the medieval church. Between 1680 and 1781, the inhabitants of Haut-Faucigny rebuilt the ruined medieval churches. The church in Passy was rebuilt and consecrated in 1701 in the baroque style. In 1869, a new renovation was undertaken, modifying the appearance of the bell tower.
Characteristics: the church contains several objects and furnishings protected as historical monuments. The 18th century pulpit and the organ case have been listed since 1936. Wooden statues representing Saint James and Saint Michael were listed in 1984. A stoup from 1716 has been listed since 1952. The church also contains Gallo-Roman slabs dedicated to Mars. They have been listed since 1905.
Martel de Janville Sanatorium
Built: 1937
History: Commissioned by the Ministry of War in 1932, the Martel de Janville sanatorium is the last establishment built by architects Pol Abraham (1891-1966) and Henry Jacques Le Même (1897-1997) at the Plateau d'Assy. Emblematic of French sanitary architecture between the wars, this sanatorium dwells on the research carried out by Abraham and Le Même in this field since the end of the 1920s and integrates the innovations developed for the sanatoriums of Plaine-Joux (1928, not built), Roc-des-Fiz (1929) and Guébriant (1931).
Characteristics: the concentration of all the services within a single building made it a model of sanatorial architecture that was to be disseminated in France and Europe until the 1950s. Considered at the time to be a state-of-the-art establishment, it had 170 individual rooms and primarily welcomed officers and non-commissioned officers suffering from tuberculosis from various army corps. The individual treatment rooms, whose furniture was designed by Jean Prouvé and Jules Leleu, were the object of particular care.
Current use: the sanatorium was disused in 2006 and converted into housing.
Listed as: Historical Monument since 2008. 20th century heritage (2003).
Sancellemoz Sanatorium
Built: 1931
Characteristics: This care facility offers 190 beds for follow-up care and rehabilitation. History: It was in this structure that Marie Curie died on 4 July 1934, flat 424. A stay of Igor Stravinsky's family between 1935 and 1939 is recounted in the sanatorium, where the composer wrote the second movement of the Symphony in C.
Jardin des Cimes
Located in the hamlet of Plateau d'Assy, at the foot of the Fiz massif and facing an exceptional panorama of the Mont Blanc massif, the Jardin des Cimes (Garden of the Peaks) is an invitation to discover nature, mountains, vegetable gardens and the art of gardening during a one-hour stroll. Activities on the themes of "art, nature and garden" are also offered throughout the season in the gardens or on the large terrace.
Green Lake
Lac Vert is a natural lake located in the Passy nature reserve. It is characterised by its transparent water and its green tint, which gave it its name, is the result of the presence of cyanobacteria. The lake has been a listed natural site since 14 June 1909.
TO EAT
Farcement
Farcement (stuffing) is a traditional Savoy sweet and sour dish dating back to the Middle Ages that can be served as a dish or a dessert. It has many variants depending on the valleys and villages, although there is a common base to all recipes. Its characteristic feature is the presence of dried fruit (mainly prunes, raisins and figs) in a savoury base, as well as the fact that, since the introduction of the potato, it has generally been the main ingredient. The recipe for farcement in the Passy region, cooked in a bain-marie in a special mould, has become the most widespread.
