Summit Crosses in the Northern French Alps: Sacred History 1850-Present
This comprehensive academic thesis examines the history and significance of cross installations on mountain summits in the Northern French Alps from 1850 to the present day. Through three distinct periods—The Awakening (1850-1870), Growth (1880-1960), and Maturity (1960-2019)—the study traces how sacred symbols came to dominate Alpine peaks. The work explores the religious reconquest of mountain spaces, the motivations of those who erected crosses, and the role of tourism in transforming mountain spirituality. It analyzes conflicts surrounding these symbols, including notable 2000 vandalism incidents in the Chartreuse massif and contemporary debates about religious symbols in shared spaces. Using representations, cartography, and cultural analysis, the thesis demonstrates how local populations, clergy, administrators, and travelers constructed and deconstructed the sacred meaning of Alpine summits based on their spiritual and material concerns. The document bridges religious history, landscape representation, and contemporary secularization debates.
Table of Contents:
- Acknowledgements .... 3
- Table of Contents .... 4
- Introduction .... 6
- Part I. The Awakening (1850-1870) Summit Crosses and the Conquest of High Places .... 14
- Chapter 1. Representing the Mountain in 1850: A Challenge? .... 14
- Words to Tame the Summits .... 14
- Staging to Capture the Summits .... 23
- Cartography to See the Summits .... 34
- Chapter 2: Summit Crosses in the Time of Alpine Recatholicization .... 42
- Domesticating the High Places: The Summit Cross Against the Devil .... 42
- Completing the Christianization of the Alps: The Cross of Grand Som (Chartreuse, 2,026 m) .... 54
- Reconquering the Faithful Through the Cross .... 60
- Chapter 3: Of Men and Gods at the Summit .... 74
- Conquering the Summits .... 74
- The Cross of Vieux Chaillol (Écrins, 3,163 m): The Spiritual Conquest of the Summits .... 82
- The Cross of Dent du Nivolet (Bauges, 1,547 m): An Urban Summit Cross? .... 92
- Contesting the Summit Cross? Le Châtel or Bonnet de Calvin (Dévoluy, 1,933 m) .... 103
- Conclusion. 1850-1870: A Foundational Sequence .... 109
- Part II. Growth (1880-1960) Building Summit Crosses .... 110
- Chapter 4: The Era of Sacred Summit Construction Sites .... 110
- An Inspired Mountain for a New Century? Permanence of a Tradition .... 110
- Building Crosses at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century .... 117
- Who Are the "Cross Builders"? .... 143
- Chapter 5: The Summit Cross as Guide (1920-1960) .... 148
- "Everything That Climbs Converges": The Summit Cross and the Mountain as Ideal .... 148
- Summit Crosses for Remembrance .... 163
- Conclusion. 1880-1960: The Spring of Summit Crosses .... 174
- Part III. Maturity (1960-2019) Summit Crosses and Secularization .... 175
- Chapter 6. Placing New Crosses on the Summits .... 175
- Erecting Summit Crosses: A Movement That Continues .... 175
- The Summit Cross and Mass Tourism: Toward a Secularization of the Peaks? .... 190
- Chapter 7. Replacing or Rejecting Summit Crosses? .... 193
- Replacing Summit Crosses: A Generalizing Practice .... 193
- Contesting Summit Crosses .... 212
- Conclusion .... 222
- Sources .... 227
- Printed Sources .... 227
- Printed Sources Available Online .... 229
- Press and Journals Consulted Online .... 232
- Sources Available Online .... 233
- Websites .... 233
- Bibliography .... 234
- Religious Fact .... 234
- Representation .... 236
- Profane and Sacred .... 238
- Appendices .... 240
- Table of Contents .... 296
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Document Details
- Format
- Pages
- 301
- Size
- 14.8 MB
- Category
- Society & Culture