A Mountain in Paradise

By Serge Briffaud
English

The Mount Aiguille in Trièves, considered as a miracle in the Middle Ages because of its inaccessibility, was first climbed in 1492 on order of King Charles VIII. The descriptions of the top by the climbers and the representations of the Garden of Eden of that time are very similar. This ascent thus seems the conquest, the incarnation of a symbol, and becomes “lieu” or place. Later, it will on several occasions be mentioned, from Rabelais to Restif de La Bretonne, and in local popular narratives as a despicable act on the part of a proud monarch who tried to affirm his divine nature.

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