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Fontenu
is a rather self-important little
village. It stands high above the
east end of lac de Chalain, and
you climb through forests to
reach it in its setting of alpine
meadows. But when you get there,
you find that the local authority
has spent a large amount of money
resurfacing roads and pavements
in contrasting shades of grey,
with the gutters all outlined in
red-brick. Presumably, this has
something to do with revenue from
the vast leisure complex hidden
by the forest on the lakeside
below. Whatever, it is all a bit
suburban. The church, however,
is a delight. It stands to the
west of the village, above the
steep drop to the lake below, and
dates almost entirely from its
foundation after a decree by the
Bishop of Besancon on 4th July
1524. Because of this, it
presents more Gothic survivals
than any other church in the
Chalain area. Most striking of
these is the fine east window,
but there is also a piscina
crowned with a fleur-de-lys, and
a 16th century statue of the BVM
and child. Unfortunately, these
are almost impossible to
photograph; on several visits, I
have found that although the
outer doors are open, the grill
over the entrance to the nave is
kept locked. Perhaps there is a
key at the Mairie.
A curiosity is the
saltire cross directly above the
main entrance. Perhaps there was
an original dedication to St
Andrew? On the board inside the
porch is a list of the founding
patrons that goes right up into
the 20th century.
The graveyard is
full of Humberts and Perrins. I
thought that if two more unlikely
characters from literature were
made to share the same earth it
would be hard to imagine.
Unusually, the
village has a bar. These are few
and far between in villages in
the Chalain region, so you might
choose to take advantage.
Saint-Bonnet,
Fontenu, is just to the west of
the village street. Fontenu is
signposted from Doucier and
Monnet-le-Ville, and sits up at
the top of the Lac de Chalain.
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