In Haute-Savoie, at some 1,000 meters above sea level, the Reposoir Carmel is a timeless bubble. At the foot of the Aravis massif, the site invites you to take invigorating walks, at a time when the peaks are beginning to become powdered with snow. And to perfect this disconnection from nature, before plunging into winter, why not consider a retreat at the surprising neighboring Sanskriti yoga center?
2 hours from Lyon by car, the Carmel du Reposoir, perched above the village of the same name, nestles in a wooded cirque, on the edge of a small lake. Surrounded by mountains from which fir trees cascade down, the site enjoys exceptional tranquility. No wonder that in the 12th century, the Carthusians, favored by Aymon de Faucigny, a local lord, chose to settle there. This is how in 1151, accompanied by six monks, John of Spain arrived who, upon discovering the place, declared: “This is my resting place.” Although arid and austere, the Béol valley, surrounded by its rocky setting, about ten kilometers from the famous Col de la Colombière pass, offers an ideal setting for the way of life sought by these contemplative religious people.
Over the centuries, they built and enlarged the convent which became a real small town with a library, an infirmary, a church, workshops dedicated to the tanner and shoemaker brothers… They also carried out major land clearing work, created mountain pastures for herds and enhance the land.
The convent has no less than three cloisters, including one, dating from the 15th century, built in flamboyant Gothic style, with delicate sculpted decoration, but only visible during Heritage Days. Driven out during the Revolution, the monks returned in 1846, before being expelled again in 1901. The charterhouse even became a hotel for a time, before being bought, in 1922, by Carmelite sisters who, since then, have made their Carmel. Around twenty Carmelites still live there.
The Age Gate
A little more than three kilometers away, on the road going up from the Arve valley to the monastery, the remains of the Porte d'Âge, built in a narrow place, between two rocks, remind us that it played the role of TOLL.
Restored ruins of an old farm, it is through this arched passage surmounted by three niches that we access the convent. A farmer on site was responsible for collecting taxes for the Carthusians, particularly on the wood collected. The current facade probably dates from the 17th century. The statue of the Virgin and Child, which is located in the central niche of the Porte d'Âge, is a copy of the 16th century statue, today preserved in the Reposoir church.
Walks and fun activities
The village of Le Reposoir offers a multitude of departure points for hikes, more or less sporty, with several family loops which will take you above the monastery, offering a breathtaking view of the entire valley. A range of adventure games (including some on tablets like Le Secret du Reposoir) even allows you to combine effort and scripted exploration, solving puzzles along the way. On different themes, for children or adults, around ten outdoor adventure games are available at the tourist office.
Birth of Reblochon
Owners of numerous farms around the monastery, the Carthusian monks rent them to peasants, who pay them a fee. Even if Le Reposoir today rivals Le Grand-Bornand, tradition has it that the Carthusians brought families from Switzerland to help them perfect their cheese-making techniques. This is how the famous Reblochon was born.
In the Middle Ages, in order to minimize the auciège – a fee due in kind for the enjoyment of a mountain pasture – farmers practiced incomplete milking of cows. The milk from the second milking (bloche in patois), less abundant but richer, is used to make small cheeses, reblochons. A know-how today perpetuated from generation to generation by farmers in the region, such as Éloi Blanchet, at the head of a herd of forty dairy cows.
An Indian note in Haute-Savoie
About fifteen minutes by car from the village of Reposoir, in Scionzier, the Sanskriti yoga and retreat center offers a refined immersion into Indian culture in the heart of Haute-Savoie. It is located in an old factory, completely restored, at the foot of a river, where the most daring can soak after a yoga session.
Originally from the region, Benoît, after two years spent in India, returned to his native land with Prachi, his Indian wife. Practicing yoga for many years, these two enthusiasts opened this atypical place in Haute-Savoie, which also hosts once a year, in summer, a major festival combining conferences, music, meditations, yoga and well-being workshops. Retreats are offered all year round, even in winter, for stays varying from two to five days. Yoga classes, vegetarian meals, colorful guest rooms, relaxing atmosphere and hikes, the place combines a well-being stay and disconnection, in a welcoming atmosphere, with a touch of Indian exoticism.
More information: sanskriti.fr
A summary of nature in a pot
In the neighboring town of Marnaz, famous for its brightly colored pottery, another resident of the valley has turned her passion for nature into a profession. Initially trained in pottery, Chloé Challier developed a brand of cosmetics, L'Originel, based on wild plants, which she harvests at different times of the year. Its products, offered in its online store, combine medicinal plant oils (based on helichrysum, meadowsweet or yarrow, etc.) as well as botanical balms or medicinal syrups. But Chloé also offers training where you can uncover the secret of the virtues of plants with her and create your own cosmetics.
More information: loriginelrituelsauvage.com
Le Reposoir… on a thread!
The small village of Le Reposoir, less than 600 souls, has a high-flying resident: the tightrope walker Nathan Paulin. Holder of the world record for the longest crossing on a wire (nearly 2,200 meters!) at Mont Saint-Michel in 2022, the young prodigy, who performs shows and crossings all over the world, has remained very attached to his village of childhood. Encounter.
Lyon Capital: Your exploits take you to the four corners of the planet but you have chosen to stay and live at Le Reposoir. What are its attractions?
Nathan Paulin: I was born in Le Reposoir and grew up 400 meters from the Carmel. Even if my work as a tightrope walker takes me to travel a lot, I always want to come back, in peace, to this small mountain village. I love the setting and have no reason to live anywhere else! Both isolated and accessible, Le Reposoir is touristy, especially in summer, but without ever being distorted.
How do you train?
I practice a lot of sports: road cycling, running, paragliding… My training is more sporty than on the wire. It is especially for big events, like the opening of the Olympics this summer, that I will train more specifically. For the Olympics, I recreated, a stone's throw from the Carmel, on a relaxed strap, the distance from the Pont Neuf and the height of the roof of the Samaritaine.
In 2023, the Lyon public was able to see you crossing Place Bellecour during the Dance Biennale. What memories did you keep of it?
The weather was magnificent. I left from the Charité bell tower and I was happy to cross through a town that I actually know very little about. There was a beautiful communion with the public. In this show, called Les Traceurs, choreographed by Rachid Ouramdane, alongside acrobats, you could hear my voice broadcast. It's a show that has toured extensively (and is still touring!) as far as Rio de Janeiro and which I offered in performance during Heritage Days, in 2022, to the inhabitants of my village.
What figures inspire you?
My discipline is quite young, I started with slacklining and discovered the work of other tightrope walkers only late in life. I am inspired by people like Rachid Ouramdane, today at the head of the Théâtre du Chaillot, for his way of managing staging and tension with others or even by the ultra-trailer Kílian Jornet for whom the performance is above all an excuse to spend beautiful moments in the mountains.
Gourmet: the essential bear paw
The great outdoors is boring! But in the land of Reblochon, sweet pleasures are also in order. And it is thanks to an adopted Savoyard baker that one of the most delicious treats was born in the village of Mont-Saxonnex. Born in Algeria, Tahar Saïfi created bear paw in 1982: a puff and leavened pastry, filled with pastry cream, shaped like a bear paw and partly dipped in chocolate. Gluttony seduces and endures. Today, it is his children, Alexis and Djemila, who have taken over. Enjoy!
Practical
Where to stay?
• La Chartreuse, hotel and restaurant
5 rooms in the heart of the village – lachartreuse74.fr
• Altipik, unusual and glamorous lodges, with wood stoves – altipik.com
• Le Jalouvre, in Mont-Saxonnex
Cozy Savoyard nest with 14 rooms all in different styles – lejalouvre.com
Where to eat?
• La Chartreuse, hotel and restaurant, generous bistronomic cuisine
Bib Gourmand Michelin – lachartreuse74.fr
• The Hungry Yogi, à Scionzier
Delicious vegetarian lunch and dinner (vegan option)
www.sanskriti.fr
• Auberge Pointe du Midi, in Mont-Saxonnex
Copious Savoyard specialties
Such. : 04 50 96 94 32
Events
• The Cabaret du Mont Blanc, in Cluses
Dive into the heart of the 1980s, with dancers, musicians and costumes
cabaretdumontblanc.com
• 30th edition of the Painting & Sculpture exhibition, in Marnaz, from November 30 to December 8 – marnaz.fr
How to get there?
• By car, 2 hours 10
• By train, 4 hours (change in Annemasse)
