1.879 meters
France Frantse
Les Fusines Li Fejeune – 1.700 m
Blanchard Biantchart – 1.724 m
Rovinal Rovénal – 1.709 m
Praz-Sec Pra-Sec – 1.700 m
Les Péyoz Li Péyo – 1.725 m
Les Droles Li Drole – 1.757 m
Bernosin Bernozìn – 1.750 m
The village of France (Frantse in patois) is a tiny cluster of ancient rascards, now partially restored, with a wayside shrine (Oratory of Our Lady of Sorrows) and a watering trough fountain.
Map of France
Rascard also called ‘Casa di Dina Chasseur’
The passage of time seems to have stood still in front of this rascard, which bears the date 1856 on the wooden lintel of the entrance door, although its structure appears to date back to the sixteenth century. Here lived Dina Chasseur (13.03.1926 – 20.03.2010), the ‘soul’ of France, very well known not only locally but also among hikers and those who approached the mountains in a non-superficial way, delving into knowledge of the Aosta Valley territory and its people. Dina, or ‘la Dina’ according to the Milanese custom of placing the article before the name, stayed in France even during winter, the only inhabitant of the village, without the need for modern comforts, with her animals, her tools, and whatever she needed for a simple life in harmony with herself and the surrounding mountain. The path, especially in the warm season, was for her the ‘voice of the world’ that brought news from the valley. Sitting outside her house with her colourful scarf and her smile, she was always ready for a friendly chat and to offer a sip of grappa and some medicinal herbs she kept hanging to dry in the sun, while on the table there were always food, tools, and objects of every kind.
Rascard
The historic rascard, which today houses the Albergo Frantze following skilful restoration and renovation work, follows the architectural model recurrent between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On the ridge beam, together with the construction date (1721), are carved the IHS trigram (Jesus) and the initials of the patron IBB (Jean-Baptiste Burgay). The building, comprising stables, dwellings, storage rooms and granaries, was probably adapted for two families in 1801. The raised structure in larch wood (the rascard proper), projecting outward for optimal ventilation of the harvest and protection against rodents by means of eighteen mushroom-shaped pillars, has the particular feature of having two levels, with two superimposed threshing floors (ére), surrounded by four identical square-plan sheaf stores (tchambèrai) and external balconies largely closed by wooden plank walls. In the underlying stone masonry body, the lower floor housed the stables (ehtoui) and cellars (crote), while the upper floor contained the living quarters with two kitchens (majón) and heated rooms used for daily life and sleeping (péyo). During the eighteenth century, the use of wood in architecture was still widely spread in the territory of Ayas thanks to the abundance of forest resources, despite the extensive use of this material in earlier centuries both for construction and for the production of clogs (sabot). Analysis carried out on this building has revealed that in the case of such large structures the number of trees used can exceed even two hundred units. Slightly set apart from the house is the old oven, with a triangular opening and a roof made of wooden framework covered with stone slabs (lose). On the ridge beam is carved the date 1782. From D. Marco, Architectural models and building practices between the 15th and 19th centuries, in C. Remacle, D. Marco, G. Thumiger, Ayas, People and Architecture, 2005, pp. 101–103.
Oratory of Maria Addolorata
This small aedicule, erected in the centre of the village, was a place of Christianity intended for prayer and private worship for the few inhabitants of France, a testimony, even in such a small settlement, to a deeply felt religious spirit throughout the Val d’Ayas, due to the presence of a strong local clergy which, between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, encouraged the most diverse manifestations of sacred art. The niche, protected by an iron grate, was frescoed in 1874.
The Virgin, at the centre of the oratory, is pierced by seven swords and holds her hands to her chest in an attitude of sorrow. At her feet are the symbols of Christ’s Passion, the crown of thorns and the nails. In the background are felled trees, an allusion to the wood of the Cross. On the outer arch are the invocation and the name of the patron: O MARIE REFUGE DE PECHEUR BURGAY GEAN FONDATEUR 1874. Saint John the Baptist, on the left side, wears a camel-skin garment and holds a slender cross. At his feet is the lamb. Beneath the image is the inscription: St-JEAN BAT and at the bottom right: VUILLERM, possibly the artist. Saint Bernard of Menthon, on the right side, is a rare depiction of the saint, despite the considerable devotion he enjoys in the Aosta Valley, as well as in Piedmont and in the Alpine regions of France and Switzerland. Saint Bernard, patron saint of mountaineers and climbers, is represented according to the classical iconography handed down by the hagiographic work of Richard of Valdisère from the late fifteenth century: he wears the canonical cloak and holds the devil chained at his feet, after having freed numerous Alpine passes from Jupiter and demons. Beneath the image is the inscription: St BERNARD.
