Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore
Monument
Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore, located in Combloux (Département 74), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Combloux, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.8953, 6.6463
- Mérimée Reference
- PA74000005
Nestling in the high mountain pastures of Combloux, the Martinelli farm (1832), also known as the "Isidore farm", is a jewel of Savoyard mountain architecture, with its tripartite organisation of man, animal and fodder.
History
In the heart of the Mont Blanc massif, in Combloux, a hilltop village with one of the most famous panoramas in the French Alps, the Martinelli farm stands as an exceptional witness to Savoy's agropastoral civilisation of the 19th century. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2004, this mountain farmhouse has preserved intact the spatial logic that once governed peasant life in the high mountains: people, animals and hay lived together under one massive roof, in an organisation dictated by the rigours of the Alpine winter. What makes Isidore's farm truly unique is the almost educational clarity of its layout. The cortonne - the distribution corridor typical of Savoyard alpine dwellings - links the men's quarters to the west with the stables, sheepfold and stable to the east, while the cellar, hayloft and wine press complete a self-sufficient system of rare coherence. Here, nothing is left to chance: each room responds to a vital need, and each opening is oriented to maximise sunlight or facilitate the loading of fodder. The visit immerses visitors in the daily life of a Savoyard mountain family in the second quarter of the 19th century. The kitchen, the beating heart of the house, opens onto the cheese dairy and the wine press, a reminder that the alpine economy at the time was based on milk, cheese and the fruit of the high altitude orchards. The two bedrooms on the ground floor, one of which is heated by the heat from the neighbouring stable, are a striking reminder of the thermal ingenuity of the builders of yesteryear. The natural setting amplifies the emotion of the heritage: the green meadows of Combloux, the jagged horizon of Mont-Blanc and the crystalline light of the Alps give the Martinelli farmhouse an aura that no museum could recreate. It's a living monument, rooted in its land, telling the unadorned story of rural Savoie.
Architecture
The Martinelli farmhouse is in the tradition of the Savoyard mountain block farmhouse, an architectural type characterised by the grouping of all domestic and agricultural functions under a single roof. The entrances are through the gutter walls - the side facades parallel to the ridge - in a way that is typical of Alpine farms, protecting access from the prevailing winds and falling snow. The main entrance, facing south to take advantage of the sunshine, allows people, animals and fodder to pass through, while two secondary entrances to the north serve the henhouse, wine press, stable and sheepfold. The interior layout is based on three superimposed functional levels: in the basement, a cellar for storing vegetables and fruit; on the ground floor, a clever link between the men's areas (on the west side) and those of the animals (on the east side), linked by the cortonne, the typically Savoyard distributor corridor that runs the entire length of the building. On the upper level, the hayloft occupies the entire surface area, providing remarkable natural thermal insulation for the living areas below. The kitchen, the central room of the dwelling, communicates with the cheese and butter dairy and the wine press, revealing a fully integrated domestic economy. The thermal ingenuity of the builders can be seen in the design of the bedroom, which is heated by the animal heat from the adjacent cowshed, a common practice on Alpine farms that saved on firewood during the harsh winters of the Savoyard Pre-Alps.
Related Figures
Famille Martinelli — famille paysanne savoyarde propriétaire de la ferme et à l'origine de son nomIsidore Martinelli (ou homonyme) — personnage dont le prénom populaire est associé à la ferme, probablement propriétaire ou exploitant marquant du XIXe siècleVictor-Emmanuel II — roi de Sardaigne sous l'autorité duquel la ferme fut construite en 1832, avant l'annexion de la Savoie à la FranceNapoléon III — sous la présidence puis le règne duquel fut signé le traité de Turin (1860) intégrant la Savoie à la France
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore located?
Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore is located in Combloux, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore built?
Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore open to visitors?
Ferme Martinelli dite ferme à Isidore is currently closed to visitors.