But it is in the Middle Ages that the name of Chamrousse is mentioned for the first time: in 1260 an act of donation delivered the slopes of Chamrousse to the nuns of the Chartreuse de Prémol.
This site at the top of the resort is accessible in winter and summer via the cable car of the Cross or on foot in all seasons and snowshoes, ski touring from Chamrousse 1750 or 1650. There is of course the famous Croix but also a weather station (not open to the public) and a restaurant of the same name with an exceptional view on the Grenoble valley.
The Cross of Chamrousse seems to have been erected, for the 1st time, in the 17th century. This is how Adolphe Joanne described it in his guide "Dauphiné et Savoie" in the second edition of 1872: A wooden cross, supported by a stone pedestal crowns the top. This cross, erected in 1856, was initially 11 meters high, including the pedestal; knocked down by a violent storm during the winter of 1865-1866, it was restored the following summer by the care of Mr. de Saint-Ferriol, but it is not as high as before. The pedestal is a square of masonry of more than 6 meters on each side. From the foot of the cross, one can see an immense panorama..."
The famous draftsman and lithographer Victor Petit (1818 - 1871) wrote in this "universal newspaper" dated October 4, 1856: A commemorative cross has just been erected on the summit of one of the highest mountains of the Alps, which dominates Grenoble. The blessing of this cross has given rise to a scene that is certainly rare in the regions where there is permanent snow and glaciers. This cross, built in very strong pieces of wood, was placed on the gaunt summit of the mountain of Champ-Rousse, and on the site of an old cross, at the foot of which Roman medals were discovered. The new cross, due to a pious and generous initiative, was solemnly blessed in the presence of a large crowd of inhabitants of the mountains and from the surrounding communes of Herbey, Pinay, Vaulnaveys and Uriage-les-Bains. This meeting of the faithful, at the top of the rocks of Champ-Rousse, presented a curious whole, to which the strangeness, the isolation and the size of the site gave a really imposing character. I thought, Sir, that those of the readers of the Illustration who know the admirable mountains of the French Alps, would not see without some interest the sketch that I have the pleasure to offer you. Grenoble, September 15, 1856 Victor Petit Source : website "chamrousse.info".
Ouverture
All year round, daily.
Tarifs
Free access. Charged by La Croix gondola.
Contact et accès Chamrousse 2250 38410 Chamrousse Isère (38)
