Dents du Midi | EPFL Graph Search

The Dents du Midi (French: "teeth of noon") are a three-kilometre-long mountain range in the Chablais Alps in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. Overlooking the Val d'Illiez and the Rhône valley to the south, they face the Lac de Salanfe, an artificial reservoir, and are part of the geological ensemble of the Giffre massif. Their seven peaks are, from north-east to south-west: the Cime de l'Est, the Forteresse, the Cathédrale, the Éperon, the Dent Jaune, the Doigts and the Haute Cime. They are mainly composed of limestone rock, with gritty limestone rock in the upper parts. The Dents du Midi are accessible from Champéry, les Cerniers, Mex, Salvan and Vérossaz, but they have only been climbed since the end of the 18th century. A footpath around the Dents du Midi has existed since 1975. The mountain range represents a local symbol and is often used to promote the Val d'Illiez and various brands and associations in the region. The first name of the Dents du Midi was "Alpe de Chalen" ("alpine pasture of Chalen"), dating from 1342. It was later transformed into Chalin and which gave its name to a glacier, a hamlet and a mountain refuge. The term "dent de Midy" was first mentioned in 1656 in the book Helvetia antiqua et nova by pastor Jean-Baptiste Plantin. During the 19th century several names were used. In writing, the most common were "la dent du Midi" or "la dent de Midi, but the inhabitants of the Val d'Illiez used "dents de Tsallen" or "dents de Zallen", from the Tsalin patois word meaning "high bare pasture". The name "Dents du Midi" ("teeth of noon") seems to come from the fact that during the 20th century, the inhabitants of the Val d'Illiez used the massif to tell the time. This theory is supported by the old name of the Dent de Bonavau, to the south-east, which was called "Dent-d'une-heure" ("tooth of one o'clock") on maps published in 1928. The Cime de l'Est (eastern peak) was called "Mont de Novierre" before 1636, then, after a landslide, "Mont Saint-Michel" in honour of the Archangel Michael and finally "dent Noire" ("black tooth") until the first maps.

Transformations silencieuses. Étude architecturale du bâti alpin

Patrick Giromini

Ce livre interroge les écarts entre l’appréhension architecturale savante du bâti alpin et la culture propre aux réalités rurales qualifiées d’architecture « vernaculaire ». Il s’agit de deux mondes maintenus éloignés l’un de l’autre d’un point de vue discursif, mais souvent rapprochés par le questionnement éthique autour des modalités d’interaction entre environnement et activités humaines. Mais le négoce entre culture savante et culture populaire alimente aussi et surtout la production de stéréotypes comme la figure à la fois réelle et imagée du chalet. Sous sa forme « typique », ce dernier est considéré autant comme le témoin que comme le promoteur d’un habitat adapté à la montagne. À partir d’une étude approfondie de la figure du chalet et d’un travail de relevé rigoureux de hameaux et bâtiments ruraux du Val d’Hérens, dans le canton du Valais, cet ouvrage propose une critique attentive des modalités discursives qui accompagnent et justifient toute entreprise de construction en montagne.

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