The Charmaix chapel in Valfréjus

The origins of the original sanctuary and the statue of the Virgin Mary are highly hypothetical and, one might say, "lost in the mists of time". Even before the introduction of Christianity to the Maurienne, there was probably already a small prayer site leaning against the rock. A place where travellers could ask for divine help before crossing a particularly dangerous passage over the Grand Vallon torrent (the magnificent stone bridge did not exist at the time).

At the beginning of the 1st millennium, the first Christian oratory was set up in this area to house a statue of the Virgin Mary. Rather than turning to ancient pagan divinities, travelers now sought the protection of the mother of Jesus Christ. The road then led travelers or pilgrims to present-day Italy via the Col de la Vallée étroite or the Col de la Roue (passes at just over 2000 m altitude), providing quick access to the Bardonnechia valley.

The legend: in the Middle Ages, in Savoie, near Modane, the statue of the Black Madonna of Le Charmaix already existed. She lived modestly in the rock, in a small oratory carved out of the mountain. It overlooked a strong and capricious torrent (the torrent du Charmaix).

The shelter was basic, but the place was so renowned that all those who went from the Maurienne to Piedmont would kneel here. The modest oratory attracted processions, pilgrimages and daily devotions. So much so, that the locals decided to offer the Black Madonna of Le Charmaix a more suitable shelter. With great fanfare, she was installed on the altar of the church in Modane. But the next morning, the Virgin had disappeared! Finally, to everyone's astonishment, a person arriving from Le Charmaix announced that the Virgin was in her original niche, in the little oratory at Le Charmaix.

Convinced that the Virgin was showing them her attachment to the mountains, the people of Modane decided to find a more suitable place, less isolated and wild than Le Charmaix. They found a small esplanade above the river Arc. Once the work had got off to a good start, it was decided to move the statue of the Virgin Mary to a new oratory built next to the chapel under construction near Modane. But the next day, the Virgin had vanished again!

The locals found the statue again, in its original shelter at Le Charmaix... But to add insult to injury, the Virgin had brought with her the materials she needed to build her chapel! The Modanais took back the statue and the materials. But the following day, the statue had disappeared again, having returned to Le Charmaix. A workman, wanting to find out what was going on at night and unmask the little joker, stayed on the site. Tired of waiting, he fell asleep... He too was miraculously moved to Le Charmaix!