Saint-Germain de la Daille Chapel

Notice how the bell tower of this chapel doesn't have a bell, and eaves walls have been developed, supporting a roof overhang. As an improvised shelter, this protects passers-by from the wind and rain. In the recess above the entrance doorway: there is a figure of St Germanus! This is a recent chapel, since it was built in 1939 on a plot of land donated in 1936 by Clotilde Boch (née André) and blessed by the bishop on 31 July: the Patron Saint's feast day.Who is St Germanus? Legend has it that he destroyed wild beasts and halted the avalanches that ravaged the region of Séez. According to Arnold Van Gennep, "in our regions, he is regarded as the patron saint of travellers". And what a fitting guardian for La Daille he made! For we might well imagine travellers of yesteryear, before venturing into the formidable gorges of ice (by which La Daille gorges are also known), offering up a final prayer to St Germanus, calling for his protection.