IMAGES: OT SAMOËNS; CHRISTIAN MARTELET


SAMOËNS


Rock star At the eastern end of the Giff re Valley is the Cirque du Fer- à-Cheval, known as Le Bout du Monde, a three-mile horseshoe of limestone off ering wonderful hikes


they turned to the mountains and discovered the local stone had a mineral hardness similar to marble, ideal for construction. “At one point, there were around 40


quarries in the valley, and nine out of 10 men in Samoëns were stonemasons,” says Aurélie. “There were so many frahans and they were so successful that a brotherhood was formed.” La Société des Maçons aided the poor, cared for the sick and trained young apprentices in the art of stonecutting. They also developed their own language, called Mourmé. “If they were working and didn’t like their boss, for example, they could talk about him secretly.” The full story of this secret language has


been lost over time. The only record is a Mourmé-French glossary from 1900, created by a marble worker from Samoëns exiled to French-speaking Switzerland, with texts, anecdotes and even a prayer all written in the language. A copy sits locked away in the basement of the town hall, deep in the heart of Samoëns.


Time tested The next day I meet Nora Bériou by the Stonecutters Fountain next to Samoëns’ tourist offi ce. Depicting a frahan at work, the large statue was created in 2000 by Guillaume Bozonnet, the only stonemason other than Pierre working in Samoëns today. Another Savoie Mont Blanc heritage guide, Nora leads regular tours showcasing the town’s history, which is inextricably linked with that of the stonemasons. We walk along lanes lined with stone and


timber buildings to the church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption. Completed in 1555, it bears the frahans’ hallmarks — an ornately carved architrave fl anked by two stone lions and a pair of grimacing faces. In a small cemetery opposite the church, Nora points out a gravestone with two carved hands, the symbol of solidarity of the stonemasons’ brotherhood. We cross the road towards La Grenette, the


town’s covered market space, fi rst constructed in the 14th century. Every Wednesday, stalls spill into the surrounding streets and car park, but, today, we’re here to admire the roof, supported by limestone columns carved during the mid-19th century by local


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The chapel in the hamlet of Mathonex is one of nine in and around Samoëns Below: The Stonecutters Fountain in the centre of Samoëns


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