The villages of the Saint-Martin area

Wandering through the Land of Saint-Martin :
C. F. Ramuz, the great writer from Vaud, came to Saint-Martin somewhat by chance around 1940. The first outsider to do so, he became deeply attached to this mountain region with great admiration. He was also the first to observe : "There are two Saint-Martins : Saint-Martin above, and Saint-Martin below".  Above : Suen - Saint-Martin - Trogne - Eison ; Below : Liez - Praz-Jean - La Luette. 

Suen, the neighbouring village of Saint-Martin, is the most populated, perched on its hill. In former times, the representatives of the Prince-Bishop lived in the Tower of Suen, known as the "Maison Blanche". Sadly, it has collapsed, but its banner remains. Crossing to other side of the vallex, we enter a land that is no longer ours. Well, La Luette still belongs to us, but it has one fixes idea, to rest beneath the Pyramids.

Yet, these curious formations belong to Hérémence. We turn our backs to them, for from La Luette we have glimpsed younger pyramids on the territory of Saint-Martin. Younger ? Geologists measure time in millions of years, the millennia matter little to us. We can wait. 

Meanwhile, we catch our breath in the hamlet of Praz-Jean, lying on both sides of the Borgne River and dominated by a Roman bridge dating from 1636.

Upstream, along the Borgne, lies a plateau : Tsampé, meaning "an open field". The inhabitants of La Luette own barns and granaries there. A wooden bridge crosses the Borgne with cattle and mules, and a small dam forms a pool of water with a beautiful green hue. 

The plateau of Ossona has had a curious fate. It is a magnificent terrace overlooking the Borgne on its right bank, a superb natural stairway where, sine ancient times, the people of Suean have stayed, as thex have in La Gréféric, moving there with their livestock. Each household, as in the village, owns a small living room and bedroom, and a barnstable for the animals. Around the Hamlet, each family has a garden, rye fields, and even a few small plots of vines. 

Ossona is a small paradise, with mild winters and pleasant summers. The water from a bisse (irrigation canal) protects crops from drought. Life is good in Ossona and La Gréféric. From Praz-Jean, we reach Liez, standing proudly on its ridge. A perfect sketch of Valais village : houses clinging to the jagged line, or perhaps kneeling in prayer before the charming little chapel where one surely rests in peace. 

South of Saint-Martin d'En-Haut, the path winds down toward Trogne, setting its course for Eison, a village made up of two hamlets, divided by a torrent that speaks in a loud voice. The old chapel of Eison is well worth a visit. From La crettaz d'Eison, one can reach Volovron by crossing a forest of Swiss stone pines, perched proudly on its ridge. 

But here we leave the commune of Saint-Martin, moving toward that of Evolène, which lies beneath the sublime Dent Blanche, ruling above with its severe and perfect geometry. Saint-Martin faces it with own mountain, humbler, but no less admirable, The Maya. 

Maya, Maya the Beautiful, Maya the Mysterious. She looks like a noble lady seated gracefully upon the ridge, perhaps spinning the white wool of the clouds above Eison.