Electric touring bike itinerary - On the hills of La Giettaz

The church of La Giettaz, dedicated to Saint Pierre-aux-Liens, was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century to replace the medieval building. Its bulbous bell tower and its furniture make it a fine example of late Savoyard Baroque.The first church in the village was built at the very end of the 14th century. Imagine, before this construction, the Giettois went to mass, risking their lives in winter, in Flumet for the inhabitants of the village, and in Megève for the inhabitants of the hamlet of Plan! If the exterior is admirable by the presence of the majestic onion bell tower with two lanterns, the interior of the vast building derives its originality from its Greek cross plan: this choice allowed the construction of a central dome, which was decorated with frescoes. in 1848. Raise your eyes to the sky: restored in the spring of 1999, their colors await your eyes! In 1732, a sculpted altarpiece was installed, paid for by the Giettois who had emigrated to Paris. The current major altarpiece, from 1849, partially reuses this old decor (the pale green part with the twisted columns), so it retains the vitality born of the Baroque spirit.

Villa Jeanne d’Arc, built between 1908-1914, is the first example of La Giettaz’s legacy as a resort. Initially a hotel on the Route des Grandes Alpes, then a rest home and finally a preventatorium, it traces the evolution of tourism in the village.At the beginning of the 20th century, at the initiative of the village priest, local residents from La Giettaz built a hotel on the Route des Aravis that boasted every modern comfort, in anticipation of the village’s development as a resort that would attract a growing number of tourists at this location, crossed by the Route des Grandes Alpes. After the war, the establishment was given a new role, that of rest home and then a preventorium. Until 2001, when the Villa closed, it welcomed thousands of guests who contributed to the village’s tourism boom. Recently, the building has found a new vocation, accommodating groups.