The history and art of Le Bourget du Lac

Le Bourget du Lac is a village located in Savoy, France. Surrounded by the Alps, this rural village was named after the neighboring lake, Le Lac du Bourget, France's largest natural lake. Overlooked by many as just another place near the greatest ski resorts, or an occasional hiking stop, it holds a great part of France’s history with Italy, with a lake being the chosen retreat of many artists and monarchs. Hereafter, I share some of my gathered knowledge about the history of this place.

The history and influence of Savoy

Savoy¹ has a long history with Italy. Entirely conquered by the Roman Empire in 6 BC, then relented to the Burgundians in 443, and conceded to the Franks after the VIth century, Savoy ended up re-linking with its Roman roots in the XVth century with the Duchy of Savoy.

The Roman Empire left many traces of its passage in Le Bourget du Lac, particularly through the roads constructed through the mountains surrounding the lake, commonly known as La Voie Romaine², and widely used today as hiking paths.

The roads were constructed around water points³ surrounding the village to supply nearby inhabitants. Today, one source remains abundant, called Le Varon, with its locally famous waterfall: La Cascade de la Serraz.

In the 14th century, Amédée VIII enabled the expansion of the Savoyard State⁴ with the acquisition of the Principality of Piedmont and the title of Duchy of Savoy. Later, between the XVth and XVIIIth centuries, the Savoyard States became the Sardinian States. They controlled the Duchy of Savoy, the Duchy of Aosta, the Principality of Piedmont, and Sardinia.

Nonetheless, Savoy’s influence in Italy ended with the Treaty of Torino, signed in 1860, leading to the annexation of the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice to France. Therefore, the remaining Sardinian states undertook the Italian unification and formed the Kingdom of Italy. After a coup in 1922, the monarchy was temporarily turned into a fascist totalitarian state controlled by Mussolini. Three years after being returned to the monarchs in 1943, the abdication of Victor-Emmanuel III resulted in the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946 and Italy as we know it today.

Historic monuments

Le Bourget du Lac is rich in history and monuments. Three monuments stand out as important landmarks in the village and its surroundings: L’Abbaye d’Hautecombe, Le Domaine de la Serraz, and Le Château de Thomas II.

L’Abbaye d’Hautecombe

The Royal Abbey of Hautecombe⁵ is a neo-gothic monument dating back from the XIIth century in which many counts and dukes from Savoy were buried. The French Revolution was the only historical period during which the Abbeye stopped being a monastery. However, soon after, in 1826, the Abbeye was returned to Cistercian monks and became a Benedictine monastery in 1922. The French Revolution strongly damaged the historic medieval building, despite being restored in the XIXth century to become a neo-gothic landmark. The Abbaye overlooks the lake and is surrounded by a wild and peaceful environment.

Le Domaine de la Serraz

Le Bourget du Lac is surrounded by mountains and small villages, contributing to its rich history. La Serraz, previously referred to as La Serrata, is a hamlet in which we find a castle present since the XIIIth century, commonly referred to as ‘Le Domaine de la Serraz’⁶. Located on the mountainside of La Montagne de l’Epine in a Renaissance style, this historic monument encountered many torments in its lifetime. From different architectural waves of embellishment over the years to its destruction in 1793 caused by the Revolution, it was restored during the XIXth century. Since 1755, the domain has belonged to the Salteur family, who remain the Marquess.

Le Château de Thomas II

The Castle of Thomas II⁷ was commanded in the XIIIth century by Amédée IV, Count of Savoy at the time. Surrounded by a beautiful natural environment, the castle quickly became the House of Savoy's principal residence. Nonetheless, the mediaeval landmark was abandoned many times throughout the centuries and we can now visit the remains of what used to be a loved and peaceful retreat.

Art surrounding the lake

With its beautiful scenery, peaceful nature, and bucolic seasons, the village and its surroundings attracted many artists and great thinkers across the ages. Many can be recounted; however, to end this short article, I want to stress the great writer George Sand and the lyric poet Alphonse de Lamartine.

George Sand

Aurore Dupin (1804–1876)⁷ was a novelist and journalist, writing under the pseudonym George Sand during the XIXth century. Among her works, Indiana (1832), La Mare au Diable (1846), and her autobiography, Histoire de ma vie (1854) can be highlighted. She is known to have played a great part in the development of socialism in France throughout the 19th century, with feminist ideals and a will to challenge the patriarchal and classist institutions present at the time.

Aurore Dupin⁸ was avant-garde, living an androgynous life through her art, clothes, sexual life, and social habits; she was, and still is, known as a great thinker, writer, and lover who challenged social norms.

In 1861⁹, Aurore Dupin decides to go visit a friend in Savoy and finds herself enjoying Le Lac du Bourget, its surroundings, and the Royal Abbaye of Hautecombe. This raw and peaceful environment inspires her to write Mademoiselle La Quintinie¹⁰, a romantic novel questioning Catholic morals directly based in Savoy with multiple references to the lake and the Abbaye.

Alphonse de Lamartine

Lamartine (1790–1869)¹¹ was a French poet and politician in France. Strongly involved in French politics at first, Lamartine retired after his political defeat against Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1848. The poet is a pioneer of the romanticism movement in France, particularly thanks to his widely acclaimed poem collection, Méditations poétiques.

The poet’s ties to Le Lac du Bourget¹² started with a trip to Savoy, where he met Julie Charles. Tragically, Lamartine’s muse was affected by tuberculosis and died two years after their encounter. The time spent together and the poet’s nostalgia towards their stolen romance, inspired Méditations poétiques, published in 1820. This poem collection made him famous, with one renowned poem called Le Lac, directly inspired by Lamartine and Julie’s time spent around the lake and a cave, sometimes referred to as La Grotte de Lamartine.