Saint-Jean-de-Sixt
Saint -Jean -de -Sixt is a commune in the French department of Haute- Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region.
Geography
Saint -Jean -de -Sixt is on 959 m above sea level. M., northeast of Thones, about 22 km east of the town of Annecy (air line). The village is located on a broad saddle between the valleys of the south and Nom Borne in the north. It is the center of Bornes Alps and is situated at the eastern foot of the Mont Lachat.
The area of 12.21 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the Bornes Alps. The main settlement area is occupied by a saddle that descends south to the river of Nom, north to about 100 m deeper valley of the Borne. North of Saint -Jean -de- Sixt also impresses the natives a sharp bend, is leaving the Central Valley in the Bornes Alps and breaks through the adjacent chain in a narrow gorge ( Défilé des Etroits ). To the northwest, the municipality's area covers the Mont Lachat, on the ridge of 1860 m above sea level. M. the highest elevation of Saint -Jean -de -Sixt is achieved. In the south of the municipality extends to the bottom of the gorge Nom, which connects to La Clusaz and on the eastern side of the Tête du Danay (1730 m above sea level. M. ), flanked on the western side of the foothills of the Pointe de Beauregard will.
At Saint -Jean -de -Sixt next to the village itself includes various hamlet settlements and farmsteads, including:
- Forgeassoud (980 m above sea level. M. ) on the saddle between Nom and Borne
- Le Villaret (870 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of the Borne
Neighboring municipalities of Saint -Jean -de -Sixt are Entremont in the north, Le Grand- Bornand in the east, La Clusaz in the south and Les Villard -sur- Thones in the West.
History
Saint -Jean -de -Sixt is first mentioned in the Middle Ages. Sixt goes back to the word scis and means about as much as splitted stones. The former site was located on the hill Cret. Around 1860, when many houses were dilapidated, the residents decided to rebuild the place at its present location.
Attractions
The parish church of Saint -Jean -Baptiste was built in the years 1869-1871. In Villaret is a chapel, originally built in 1600 but was rebuilt in 1823-1826. Another chapel from the 17th century located in the hamlet Forgeassoud. The houses in the traditional Savoyard style Villaret show.
Population
With 1422 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Saint -Jean -de -Sixt is one of the smaller towns in the Haute-Savoie region. Since the mid- 1970s, a significant population increase was recorded.
Demographics
Economy and infrastructure
Saint -Jean -de -Sixt was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture and Alpine village. Today there are various operations of small businesses. Many workers are commuters who engage in the larger towns in the vicinity of their work. In recent decades, Saint -Jean -de -Sixt benefited from its proximity to the ski resorts of La Clusaz and Le Grand -Bornand in the Bornes massif also by tourism.
The village is located at the intersection of major roads which open up the Bornes Massif: The north-south crossing of the massif runs from Bonneville via Saint -Jean -de -Sixt and La Clusaz to Albertville, while the west-east crossing of Thones connects via Saint -Jean -de -Sixt with Le Grand-Bornand and Cluses.
Personalities
Pierre Favre, a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, was born on April 13, 1506 in Le Villaret.