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| 2251 - Dauphiné Region |
The Dauphiné is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère and Drôme, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Hautes-Alpes, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. In the 12th century, the Count Guigues IV of Albon (c.1095-1142) bore a dolphin on his coat of arms and was nicknamed "le Dauphin" (French for dolphin). His descendants changed their title from Count of Albon to Dauphin of Viennois, and the state took the name of Dauphiné
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| 2252 - The Seven Wonders of Dauphiné (1) |
Under the Ancien Régime, the province was bordered in the North by the River Rhône which separated the Dauphiné from the Bresse and Bugey. To the east it bordered the Savoy and Piedmont, and to the south the Comtat Venaissin and Provence. The western border was marked by the Rhône to the south of Lyon. The Dauphiné extended up to what is now the centre of Lyon. It was divided into the High Dauphiné and Low Dauphiné. The historical capital is Grenoble.
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| 2253 - The Seven Wonders of Dauphiné (2) |
The Basilica of Our Lady of La Salette is a large, rather austere church, with a facade flanked by two strong towers, built between 1852 and 1865. Outside the basilica is a walking path leading to a site of reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1846, a minor place of pilgrimage. Grande Chartreuse is the head monastery of the Carthusian order, which is supported by the sales of Chartreuse liqueur. Built in the 13th century, the Château du Touvet has a garden à la française classified among the notable gardens of France.
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