Corps, Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Corps is a French commune located in the department of Isère, in region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Medieval village at an altitude of 937m, between Isère and Hautes-Alpes, on the famous Route Napoléon, surrounded by the Dévoluy and Ecrins massifs.

Corps is a small town in the South of France. Located in the region Beaumont in the Southern Alps on the border between the department of Isere and that of the Hautes-Alpes, it is located 40 km north of Gap, 65 km south of Grenoble and 220 km to north of Marseille. The village of Corps is surrounded by high mountains, including the Obiou in the Dévoluy massif which overlooks the magnificent Lac du Sautet.

The village is at the start of the road that leads to the Marian Sanctuary of La Salette, a place of pilgrimage where the Virgin of La Salette would have appeared to two small corpatus shepherds, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud.

History
The earliest traces of human occupation in the country of Corps date back to some 1,200 years BC, these were probably Altaic groups from Central Asia. Towards -800, an important Ligurian habitat existed a few kilometers downstream of Corps, in the current commune of Quet-en-Beaumont. Around -300, some Celts arrived from the Swiss Alps mingled with the local Ligurians, and formed the “people of the three ensigns”, or Tricorii,Trièves.

After the defeat of Hannibal by the Romans, they set out to control the beyond of the Alps. In -151, the Beaumont, like the whole region, was subject. But no civitas was established in Beaumont. A Roman road, of secondary importance, linked the Durance valley to Cularo (Grenoble) via the Champsaur and the Beaumont. It would seem that it is at the site of the old hamlet of Saint-Brême, now submerged under the waters of Lake Sautet, that the place called Geminae on the Peutinger map was located, a junction of a road directing to Mens. There was born the first village in the country of Corps, the remains found elsewhere being linked only to small agricultural villages.

From the year 1202, an Alleman family owned in alleu, that is to say without overlord other than the emperor of the Holy Empire, a stronghold in Corps. In 1247, the emperor ceded to the Dauphin de Viennois the “high domain”, that is to say the major jurisdiction, over its alleus in Beaumont. He will not hesitate to take advantage of it to appropriate the goods of his subjects.

In 1250 the Mandement de Corps was created, comprising, on the right bank of the Drac: Corps, Saint-Bénigne (Saint-Brême), Saint-Jean des Vertus (the Côtes-de-Corps), la Salette (without the Fallavaux) and Saint-Julien (a locality that no longer exists), and on the left bank: Pellafol, Beaufin, Ambel and Monestier d’Ambel, which will soon form two separate mandements. However, no squire is known before 1309.

In 1321, the regent Henri granted the town of Corps municipal and individual franchise charters, confirmed in 1324 by Beatrix of Hungary, mother of the Dauphin. From 1349, Corps is one of the châtellenies on which rests the income granted to Humbert II de Viennois, who sold his possessions to the King of France. In 1374, Reynaud II Raymond, co-lord of Sigottier, Furmeyer and other places, bought the stronghold of Corps and its land from Guigues III Alleman. His son Henri II Raymond became lord in 1406.

In the first half of the xv th century, the Dauphin Louis II, future king of France under the name of Louis XI, regularly step Corps by visiting Montorcier in Champsaur.

During the Wars of Religion, Corps, faithful to the Catholic faith, was taken and taken over several times by the opposing armies, and finally ruined in 1577. Subsequently, and on two occasions, the seigneury fell into dead hand and was taken over. by the King. In 1781, the inhabitants of Corps could complain of an injury due to the absence of a lord.

Napoleon I stopped off at Corps and spent the night from March 6 to 7, 1815 at the Hôtel du Palais, on his return from the Island of Elba. Every year at Pentecost Corps celebrates this event under the title “Adventurer in Corps, Prince in Grenoble”. On September 19, 1846, the Virgin Mary would have appeared to two children of Corps, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, in the mountain above the village of La Salette. The Marian apparition having been recognized by the Catholic Church, a pilgrimage developed to the sanctuary of La Salette.

Between 1930 and 1935, the construction of the Sautet dam caused an influx of foreign workers, resulting in significant economic development for the town which had until now remained exclusively agricultural. In 1932, the Mure railway line was extended to Corps, establishing a link from Grenoble. It was a relative success, especially for the pilgrims of La Salette, but, the coaches soon giving direct access to the sanctuary, and for lack of completion of the connection to Gap, the line collapsed, the service was interrupted in 1949, and the line definitively abandoned in 1952.

Historical heritage

The Sanctuary of Notre Dame de la Salette
The Sanctuary is located in the Pays de Corps, on the heights of the town of La Salette – Fallavaux, at nearly 1800 m. altitude. Every year tens or even hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors climb the mountain to reach this high place of spirituality.

Yet up to half of the XIX th century the site was wild and unknown. Only a few shepherds with their flocks ventured onto the slopes of Mount Gargas to enjoy the mountain pastures… The fate of this grandiose and austere place changed on September 19, 1846, the day when two little shepherds, poor and uneducated, Maximin Giraud (11 years old) and Mélanie Calvat (15 years old), both from Corps, saw a ” Pretty lady “. The news spread like wildfire and La Salette immediately began to attract many pilgrims and curious people.

In 1851, the anniversary of the Apparition, Mgr Philibert de Bruillard, bishop of Grenoble and ordinary of the place, after a long investigation, published his “doctrinal mandate”, in which he officially recognized in the name of the Church that it is indeed the Blessed Virgin who appeared to the two children on the heights of La Salette.

This judgment allowed an even faster development of the Pilgrimage: construction and consecration of the Basilica (1852-1879), creation of the congregation of the Missionaries of La Salette (1852), installation of statues at the place of the Apparition (1864), construction and extension of buildings (1851 and up to the present day) etc.; and a multitude of signs of devotion in France and abroad: stained glass windows, statues, facsimiles, chapels, churches. This is how the Sanctuary of Notre Dame de La Salette has become a place of reference in the Dauphiné. Its unique natural setting, its very rich past, its cultural and religious heritage make it an exceptional site. Its notoriety extends beyond the confines of the region.

Related Post

The Sanctuary of Notre-Dame de La Salette enjoys worldwide renown. Pilgrims and visitors always go there, by car, bus, bicycle or on foot. Up there, no one remains indifferent: the beauty of the landscape, the impressive panorama, the breathtaking immensity of the mountain alongside an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna, calm, tranquility, silence – so many invitations to stop, to meditate, to empty, to let yourself be permeated by this particular atmosphere that reigns there. And to listen to the words of the “Beautiful Lady”, which still resonate in this place that an unusual meeting has made famous.

The Napoleon Route
Disembarked on March 1, 1815 at Golfe Juan, with a small army of 1,200 men, wanting to avoid the Rhône valley which he knew to be hostile and royalist, Napoleon took the direction of Grasse to reach the Alps via the Durance valley. When Napoleon took this road, it was in a very uneven state depending on the sector. Between Grasse and Digne, it was not yet built, and the Emperor passed by mule tracks.

On March 6, the troops left Gap by the small Burle bridge and climbed the Col Bayard to descend towards the Drac and Saint-Bonnet where the population acclaimed the Emperor and wanted to join him. Along the river it climbs through Chauffayer to Corps where Cambronne has prepared accommodation in a building, the police station of the time, located on the main street.

Before nightfall, he will have his hair cut and eat an omelet, there will remain a sentence of Napoleon during this passage at Corps “Corpatus I feel at home here”. A commemorative plaque appears on the facade of the house: “Here, from March 6 to 7, the Emperor Napoleon, returning from the Island of Elba, lodged”.

During the night, the scouts of the King’s troops plot in La Mure. They want to prevent Napoleon from crossing the Drac at Pont haut (south of La Mure) by undermining the bridge. This would have the effect of cutting off the vanguard commanded by Cambronne from the rest of the imperial column. Genevois, mayor of La Mure, dissuades them by citing the commercial damage caused to the city. He recalls that a nearby ford will nevertheless allow the river to be crossed. The King’s troops then decide to withdraw to Laffrey. As for Cambronne, he retired to Pont Haut to secure this bridge. March 7, the longest day.

Faced with the success of this historic road, its layout was improved, sometimes deviating from the initial dirt road followed by the Emperor.

Les Sources des Gillardes
At the foot of the Obiou, the sources of Gillardes are the second exsurgences of France after Fontaine de Vaucluse. In the Pellafol forest, at the foot of steep limestone cliffs that open the gates of Dévoluy, fresh and limpid waters spring from the rock. These are the Sources des Gillardes, the second wave in France after Fontaine de Vaucluse. These resurgences, which remain a geological mystery, have a significant water flow, both in summer and in winter.

Les Gillardes are the start of several very accessible hikes. A thematic trail offers two family loops with environmental discovery panels. You can also observe the fairy chimneys by taking the paths from Old Pellafol.

Civil heritage
The Sautet dam, built between 1930 and 1935, 126 meters high, barring the Drac just downstream from its confluence with the Souloise.
The Sautet bridge, adjoining the dam, a single arch bridge over the Drac gorge downstream from the dam. It replaced the old suspension bridge in the xix th century, already remarkable for its audacity. Another bridge existed before the dam a little upstream from the confluence: the Saint-Brème bridge, over the Drac, carrying a road to Ambel.
The old railway station, today headquarters of the Equipment services.
The Old Hospital, labeled Heritage in Isère
The Maison Napoléon, a former gendarmerie. On March 6, 1815, Napoleon arrived in Corps after having crossed the Col Bayard. He arrives late in the evening, stays in this house. After receiving testimonies from former soldiers, he is served an omelet-based meal and then works several hours before going to bed. Cambronne scouted at La Mure with 40 hunters and a platoon of cavalry where he encountered royal troops. The two troops face each other without firing. On the morning of March 7, Cambronne sent a message to Napoleon asking him to join him. Napoleon leaves Corps.
Many old houses in the old town.
The old stables, still forming a curious vaulted passage.
The walls and the medieval castle, the beginning of xiii th century, were destroyed at the end of the xvi th century.

Religious heritage
St. Peter’s Church
The primitive church of Corps was part of a priory built in 1212 by Benedictine monks from Marseille, and of which only the entrance porch remains facing the current church. In Romanesque style, the church was ravaged in 1821 by a fire that also destroyed the parsonage and most of the village. It has been restored in accordance with its original style. The bell tower is in Gothic style. The interior of the church is worth a visit:
the apse, circular, is very bare, and lit by a row of high stained glass windows
the altar is in white marble, richly decorated
the right apsidiole has a small circular stained-glass window representing the Holy Family
in the transept, a stained glass window representing Saint Eldrade, patron of the parish
in the side aisles, two statues of Our Lady of La Salette, including a “Weeping Virgin”; on the ground, some slabs bear funeral inscriptions
on either side of the entrance, two (modern) marble fonts bear inscriptions in Latin and Greek.
On the edge of the village, the small Saint-Roch chapel is installed on a promontory facing the lake and the mountains (Dévoluy, Obiou).

Festivities
Since 1989, the Nuits musicales de Corps, a festival dedicated to classical music, have been held in August.

Natural heritage

The Sautet dam
The Sautet dam located in the communes of Corps and Pellafol, is the first upstream of the Drac. The lake collects the waters of a large watershed of 101,800 hectares. The dam itself occupies a strategic position since it is at the level of a very narrow former glacial lock in the Drac canyon. The role of the dam is preponderant in the management of the flow of the Drac since, being the first, it regulates the water inflow for all the following dams.

With films, exhibitions, models and experiments, The Sautet dam invites you to discover a fascinating world which has shaped the landscapes and the history of the Alpine valleys and which today still represents an energy of the future… world of hydropower!

Sautet Lake
Lac du Sautet is a privileged place for holidaymakers in search of authentic nature. Numerous activities around this body of water attract a diverse and growing vistor. This lake and its 350 ha of turquoise water, located at an altitude of 765 m, extended in its southern part by the Souloise gorges (canyon listed in the Natura 2000 inventory) constitutes an ideal base for the practice of nautical activities, such as: sailing, motor boat, board, canoeing, fishing.

The Sautet nautical base installed on a fitted out beach, free access, in a calm and protected environment, by sea kayak, pedal boats, or electric boat (without license) for 5 people, to visit the Souloise gorges. This base, in addition to a campsite, rental chalets, a bar and a restaurant offers an aquatic area for vistor, as well as canoe.

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