Passage du Mont-Blanc

Now you are walking through the Mont-Blanc Passage. Before the 19th century, you would have had your feet in the water! This street was, in fact, a canal of the Albanne River, which supplied water to the inns of the suburb. Most travelers arrived on horseback, and this is where water was drawn to quench their thirst. The street runs along the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph, of which you can see the holy chapel on your left. This religious congregation teaches pontifical law and is dedicated to education and the creation of university hostels. They settled in Chambéry in 1816, purchasing an old house on Italy Street. As the women of the suburb were constantly working, the sisters worked to create a school for little girls. They opened a boarding school, allowing 1200 young girls from modest and poor social classes to receive an education. The site is still a school today, but the sisters left the convent, which became inadequate, in 2005.