Notre Dame de la Salette loop

Le Planay Chef-lieu (1130 m) is quite typical by the way of how it is built: with houses on both sides of the road that leads to Pralognan la Vanoise. In this valley between the mountain Dent du Villard (2280m), the Vuzelle (2654m) and the Grand Bec (3398m), it’s really surprising to find a “modern” church.If you are going through the village you could make nice discoveries showing the popular faith of the former mountain dwellers: small oratory Saint Anne protecting the village against the avalanche of the Dent du Villard, the grotto Notre Dame de Lourdes erected in 1920 by a family who lost his son in the mountain and finally the church with its surprising modern architecture built in 1972 which has replaced the old one built in 1628. You can’t go to the Planay village without looking at the Vuzelle waterfall, which has more than 100 m of height, sometimes water, sometimes ice; it has been classified at the national patrimony in 1935. In the 40s, some works were made by EDF to pick up the water after the drop, to bring the water 764 m down by penstock to a hydroelectric plant in the Villard. Le Planay village is also the departure of numerous hiking trails.

Notre Dame de la Salette with its chapel and its 14 stations of the cross is easily reached from Chamberanger or from Planay village through nice hiking trails.This unusual site is linked to the choice of the place where a hillock overlooks the Planay’s valley. This place really looks like the Salette sanctuary located near Grenoble in Isere where the Virgin Mary appeared in 1846. In 1875, it’s the local Grat Bonjean, marked by his experience in Isere near this holy place, erected an oratory under the name “Notre Dame de la Salette”, following a promise made during his healing of a serious disease. In 1886, he transformed it into a chapel and makes a Way of the Cross with 14 stations. Then he decided to build the same statues as in Isere. Inaugurated in 1888, the oratory became a sanctuary. Since then, every year a mass is celebrated on September 19th (The day of the Virgin Mary appearance).

This chapel, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, is located in the small hamlet of Chambéranger, on a slope, on the sunny side of the valley. Its charming, understated décor is closely linked to the history of the region.The chapel, which was founded in 1505, was renovated by the villagers during the 1980s: the closure of the factory in the lower part of the village meant more free time for the local men with their wealth of knowledge and expertise. The village oven, next to the chapel, has disappeared, leaving only its name (place du Four), although the large covered pond still remains to tell the history of the village. The church in Le Planay Chef-lieu, which was rebuilt in 1972, with a modern ski-jump style design, is a rather amazing building. Also worth visiting is the Chapelle de Notre-Dame de la Salette, It's a lovely, 30 minute walk from the village with a guaranteed surprise at the end!

Chamberanger (1250m) is a typical village which is a real witness of the traditional way of life in mountain: steep little streets, chains of houses hung on the slope. A fine example of adapting a mountain community to a difficult geography.This important hamlet of the commune of Le Planay sitting on a rocking spur seems to stick on the slope. Its traditional architecture is distinctive by its steep narrow streets made of “standing rocks”. Built with local materials from the spruce forest and quartzite quarry, the typical houses are characterized by a house divided in three parts, one used for permanent living, a stable and a barn. Its chapel dedicated to Saint Barthelemy has been built in 1505 and is the oldest chapel of Le Planay Commune. Chamberanger has also become a starting famous place to hike. Many hiking trails are available from the village specially to reach the Grand Bec refuge or Pralognan la Vanoise or Champagny en Vanoise.