CROIX DE CHEMINS - HAUT DU TOT

The Hautes-Vosges, and especially the Haut du Tôt, are dotted with wayside crosses. Also called calvaries, these monuments built in stone are an important part of the territory's identity and built heritage.

The origins of the wayside crosses

There are 3 main origins
- The plague crosses, erected in memory of the inhabitants who perished by the plague between 1630 and 1637 and who were buried away from inhabited places
- Devotional crosses erected in honor of God or for the souls in purgatory
- Crosses erected in honor of soldiers killed in action during the liberation of 1944

398 years of road crosses !

The collector's cross, the oldest in the area, dates from 1602. Located on the chemin des Tilleuls, in Vagney, it was built on the site where a tax collector was murdered

The most recent one was erected at Haut du Tôt during the Holy Week of the year 2000. In the foundations, a bottle containing the names of all the inhabitants was sealed. An original way to mark the passage to the new millennium!

The circuit of the road crosses

This circuit is composed of two loops and starts from the col de la Croix des Hêtres. The first loop (2.5 km) allows you to see the first 4 crosses which are spread over the Haut des Charmes. The second (3.5 km) goes through Moyenmont and the Haut du Tôt to discover crosses 5 to 11.

Animations

In July and August, it is possible to walk this circuit with Daniel Thiriet, a volunteer of the ASF, who presents the origin and the history of each of the crosses of the Haut du Tôt, as well as the rural life in the farms during the last centuries. This guided tour ends with the church, built by the inhabitants in 1832. 3.5 km are covered on foot (without difficulty), the rest is done by car.

Contact : Daniel Thiriet - 03 29 61 73 24

DATAtourisme France