Les Giettes
Origin of the name Les Giettes
The name of Les Giettes, a chalet area above Monthey, has no known explanation.
Founding of Les Giettes
Les Giettes is a chalet area on the heights of the municipality of Monthey, with a view stretching to the lake. How long chalets have stood there is unknown. The cross set up in 1941 stands on the territory of Choëx, and people were already speaking of the « station des Giettes » at that time. The small ski area now lies between 1'300 and 1'800 m.[1][2][4][5]
History of Les Giettes
1932. Rebuilding of the Saint-Maurice canons' chalet at Les Giettes, destination of the College pupils' « mountain walk » and a holiday place for the canons.[3]
1941. On 15 August a large cross is set up at Les Giettes and blessed by the parish priest of Choëx.[1][2]
1965. On the initiative of the parish priest Louis Bonvin, a chapel is built from scratch.[4]
1970s. Two button lifts serve the slopes.[5]
1988-1990. Two plans to enlarge the canons' chalet are refused in 1988 and 1989, then building permission is granted in 1990.[3]
1991. In November the chalet's annex, with dormitories, showers and a meeting room, is inaugurated.[3]
around 2005. Alain Bosco takes over the bankrupt Télégiettes ski area and re-equips it.[5]
2025. Télégiettes opens two weekends a month from December to April with volunteers, and access is free.[5]
Historic sites in Les Giettes
Les Giettes chapel. Chapel of 1965, dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption and built with its back to the lake so that worshippers standing outside can follow Mass. It is the highest in the parish. Its older furnishings come from other places of worship: a Baroque painting from the early 18th century showing the Virgin rising to heaven, and Stations of the Cross in fourteen canvases signed by Emmanuel Chapelet and dated 1838. Mass is said there on summer Sundays.[4]
Les Giettes cross. Large cross set up in 1941 among the chalets, overlooking the ski area.[1][2]
Chalet of the canons of Saint-Maurice. Chalet rebuilt in 1932 and extended by an annex inaugurated in 1991, heated by a heat pump drawing energy from the ground.[3]
Télégiettes ski area. 8 km of pistes, snowshoe trails and a cross-country track between 1'300 and 1'800 m.[5]
Sources
- « Bénédiction de la Croix des Giettes », Les Echos de Saint-Maurice, tome 40, 1941
- François-Marie Bussard, « La croix des Giettes », Les Echos de Saint-Maurice, tome 41, 1942
- Jean-Paul Amoos, « Aux Giettes : un nouveau chalet », Les Echos de Saint-Maurice, tome 88b, 1992
- Patrick Elsig et Maurice Parvex, « La chapelle des Giettes », L'Essentiel, magazine paroissial des secteurs Monthey et Haut-Lac, mis en ligne en juillet 2021
- Nathalie Benn, « Dans cette station de ski, l'abonnement ne coûte rien », Blick, 5.12.2025
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Other villages near Les Giettes
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