There was a time when mules were shod on one side and hearts of gold were forged on the other. In Séez (Haute TarentaiseThe Espace Saint-Éloi occupies a completely renovated former village forge, now shared between three universes: ironwork, Savoyard jewellery, and Baroque art. A visit that the manager of the premises, Isabelle De Pestel, never fails to make surprising.
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In the basement, the forge hearth hasn't moved an inch since the beginning. Here, mules and horses were still shod right up until the 1970s. «Tractors, not everyone could afford to buy one, and where we live, it's not very flat.» Remind Isabelle De Pestel.
An impressive trip hammer, operated by a paddle wheel – the same mechanism as those in neighbouring mills – once struck the red-hot metal there.
The blacksmith often wore several hats depending on the season: a farrier for the beasts, a cutler for agricultural tools, a locksmith and wrought iron worker for locks and balconies, not to mention the shoeing of cartwheels.
«To shod the woman»
One floor up, the jewellery shop holds the greatest surprise. Over 200 pieces – crosses, hearts, brooches – make up a unique collection, gifted by Jean Delavest, a jeweller from Bourg-Saint-Maurice whose son has taken over the shop.
The reconstructed workshop, dating from the 1870s, reveals the ingenuity of an era without gas or electricity: an acetylene apparatus powered the blowtorches, while a mixture of water and sulphuric acid served as an improvised magnifying glass.
Three techniques coexisted there: shaping, the oldest and most expensive; lost wax, more accessible; and the counterstamp, used in particular for stamping Savoyard heart-shaped amulets.
But the tastiest part remains an expression. «When a young man found his fiancée, he had to offer her his heart, a cross, earrings, and a ring.» reveals Isabelle De Pestel. «They called that »shoeing the wife'."
A nod to the blacksmith next door's trade and perhaps, she adds, «to the most modest lovers, who remade their first trinkets to give them again.»
A detour into the Baroque
The Baroque space closes the loop. If the churches in the valley, like the one in Séez, enlarged in the 17th century, display such sober façades, it is a choice. A choice to distinguish the profane from the sacred before crossing a richly sculpted portal.
A local response to the Council of Trent, which was convened for eighteen years to address Protestant criticisms of the Church. This splendour, financed in particular by tolls from nearby mountain passes and the sale of Beaufort cheese, did not spread much beyond the high valleys: religious decoration on such a grand scale was expensive.
Beneath this old forge's framework, the story of Séez is thus told in three voices: that of iron, that of gold, and that of faith.
Find out more :
- Opening : From 15/06 to 29/08/2026, Monday to Saturday from 2pm to 6pm
- Heritage Days 19 and 20/09/2026, from 3 pm to 6 pm
- Prices : €3 (adult), free for under-12s accompanied by a paying adult; groups (20+ people): €2.50 adults, €1 for school groups
- Payment: Cheque or cash
- Group bookings (+ 20 people): Town hall reception, 04 79 41 00 54 – accueilbis@seez.fr
- Contact: 04 79 40 10 38 – accueilbis@seez.fr - www.seez.fr
- Equipment Toilets, nearby parking