A short distance from Chambéry two paths lead up one to the important village of La Cluse, and the other to the Pas de la Cluse. At their junction they formed the crossroads of La Croix, that was a very important intersection for the defense of the district. A castle sitting above the stream "Naut", on a very steep knoll, which top had been flattened, and the slopes regulated, dominated it. It was surrounded by a vast enclosure flanked by round towers. In this well positioned enclosure, with a magnificent view, the La Croix castle was a large and very strong fortress, now partly ruined. This position, dominating the road, was the property of the first counts of Savoy during the middle ages. Amédée the fourth, having twelve brothers and sisters to endow, sold it in 1234, for 4,000 gold sous, to Guillaume Dieulefils. The La Rivoire inherited the Seigneury, then, later on, so did Pierre de Lambert, president of the Savoy Chamber of Accounts, skilful Ambassador to the emperor Charles the fifth and the king François the first, author of interesting memoirs. His son, Jean Gaspard de Lambert, was also Ambassador in France, during the Renaissance, he acquired a taste for literature, and started to write poetry. For this, Buttet, the leader of the Pleiad praised him, while informing us that Mr. de Lambert had blond curly hair.
This gentleman poet's daughter, married to Jean de la Forest de la Barre, brought La Croix in this family. In 1640, the fief was raised to earldom in favor of his grandson, François de la Forest. According to the letter patent of the raising, the castle was then one of the finest of the state. Its feudal jurisdiction stretched on Verel-Pragondran and on part the Saint-Alban and Bassens territories, which were not dependent of the castle called Saint-Alban. In 1759, the heirs of the last la Forest of this family branch sold La Croix to François Louis de Ville.
© 2008 Tout à Travers