The first bigger village after the border is called Neydens. From now on the path leads steadily uphill.
The parish church of Neydens
n front of the church there is a prominent column. It is a monument to the fallen, as can be found in many places in France. The special thing about it is that a Roman milestone has been reused.
In Neydens funny statues of St James line the path.
From the Chapelle de Notre-Dame de la Paix before Verrières you can already enjoy a magnificent view.
The path continues uphill.
A view back over Lake Geneva.
The church of Beaumont
In front of the church of Beaumont there is a statue of St. James (upper picture). In the church there is a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux (right picture). She is very much adored in France and we will come across many more Thereses.
We cross a forest and reach the Chartreuse (Charterhouse) Notre-Dame de Pomier.
The Chartreuse Notre-Dame de Pomier was founded in 1170 thanks to a donation from William I Count of Geneva and Vaud. Some historians believe that even before this foundation there was a smaller monastery (priory) here, whose main room was probably the present cellar. Within its walls, the Charterhouse of Pomier included the Church of Our Lady of Pomier, three chapels and twelve cells around the large cloister, burying the Carthusians and members of the family of the Counts of Geneva and Vaud.
1793: During the Revolution the Charterhouse was looted; books and manuscripts from the extensive library were burned. For almost 100 years the Charterhouse was left to
decay and many buildings were demolished. The bells of the Church of Our Lady of Pomier were taken to Carouge, where one of them still rings in the Church of the Holy Cross in
the market square.
In 1894, the Chartreuse was bought by Baron de Dree Jérémie Girod de Beaumont. He saved the main building from decay and built a hotel and restaurant with forty rooms within
its walls. The "Hotel Pension Abbey Pomier", as it was called, existed until the end of 1991.
In 2001 the present owner Claude Girod, a great-grandson of Jeremiah Girod, restored the medieval cellar and the Renaissance halls on the ground floor. The Chartreuse was renovated and modernised by Catherine Girod and Kevin Gaughran, taking into account the original character of the Chartreuse. The owner also gave the Charterhouse back its original name "Chartreuse Notre-Dame de Pomier".
The village of St Blaise. We see it from a distance and walk downhill past the cemetery to the Col du Mont Sion.
Once again we look out over Lake Geneva.
Our stage destination, the Hotel Rey on the Col du Mont Sion, highly recommended!
Photos: Gerhard Eichinger
