Saint Hugues Church, Chartreuse

 Cynthia Caughey is author of The Video Diary of an American in France – her adventures as an American woman starting life over at 50 in the French Alps … with videos, photos, regional recipes, travel tips, and a few laughs about adjusting to life in France. She has kindly agreed to share this video about a visit to the Chartreuse.

by Cynthia Caughey

“Chartreuse is a small region about 30 minutes outside of Chambéry in Isére. There are several quaint, mountain villages which are worth driving through, but what’s even more beautiful is the scenery of the mountains, hills, forests and pastures. It may be the most gorgeous scenery I’ve seen yet in the region which explains why we frequent it on our motorbike.

The main little town is called St. Pierre du Chartreuse; near the town are the museum and the Abby, which was first settled in the 1100s by a Monk who came to the area for isolation and solitude. The Abby is still occupied by monks who have taken an oath of silence. Visitors are usually not allowed. Their income is made from the liquor they produce which is also called Chartreuse. It’s quite famous in France. It has an herbal taste, and frankly, I don’t care for it, however you can take a tour of where they make it and other liquors in Voiron, which is a 45 minute drive away. The tour includes a tasting of the local liquors – some of the fruit flavored ones are excellent. The monks run almost the entire operation from their computers back at the abby and only two monks know the Chartreuse liquor recipe, which dates back to the 1700s.

For me, however, the best place to stop in St. Pierre du Chartreuse is the Saint Hugues Church. It is filled with contemporary religious art by Arcabas and is glorious to see. Most French people in Chambéry don’t even know about the church so this is truly a wonderful secret to discover.”