International Women’s Day: the women who shaped Savoie

To mark International Women’s Day, we wanted to share with you, through these portraits of extraordinary women, a little of the history of our home region! In their own way and in their own time, they broke the mould and made their voices heard. They chose to challenge ("#choosetochallenge") long before the hashtag existed!

Some are famous, others unknown, others forgotten by History… We have picked out a few of these “everyday heroines”, from the 18th century to the present day, in the hope that they will inspire you as much as they inspire us. Do share with us other portraits of women who inspire you!

Marguerite Frichelet‑Avet (1756 ‑ 1793)

Some days turn a life upside down: for Marguerite Frichelet, it was Saturday 4 May 1793. At 37, after a life spent caught between the endless conflicts of the French and Sardinian armies, “la Frichelette” suddenly took the lead of the local resistance against the French revolutionary troops. Dressed as a man, la Frichelette was on every front, rifle in hand, tireless, rousing the crowds. She came to be known as the “Little Joan of Arc of the Val de Thônes”. This extraordinary woman was finally executed by firing squad on Saturday 18 May 1793.

Amelie Gex (1835‑1883)

A Savoyarde with a difficult childhood, she devoted her life to her native land. Poet turned playwright, she soon became an activist. A republican and anticlerical, she wrote her political speeches in the local patois to better get her ideas across to the peasants, publishing under a male pseudonym. She campaigned for women’s rights and emancipation until her death.

Marie‑Louise Jay (1838‑1925)

Born in Samoëns, she opened La Samaritaine in Paris with her husband. A tireless worker, at the start of the First World War she created a philanthropic foundation and opened a maternity home, an orphanage and an apprenticeship centre. The Fondation Cognacq‑Jay continues her work today.

Charlotte Perriand (1903 ‑ 1999)

A renowned architect and a designer of genius, Charlotte Perriand is a major figure in the history of modernism. She was among the architects who designed some of the most iconic resorts in the Alps, including Méribel and Les Arcs, always with daring.

Claude Kogan (1919 ‑ 1959)

The “highest woman in the world” and a passionate mountaineer, she carried on climbing the world’s mountains after her husband’s death. On Cho Oyu, her final expedition, she died aged forty, buried in her tent by an avalanche at 7,000 metres.

Jeanne Brousse (1921‑2017)

A civil servant at the Annecy prefecture during the war, she joined the Resistance very early on, passing on messages and handing out false papers. Recognised as “Righteous Among the Nations” and made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, she spent her whole life bearing witness against forgetting.

Marielle Goitschel

At just 16 and a half, she became the youngest ever world combined champion, going on to win 2 Olympic gold medals and 7 world championship titles. Settled in Val Thorens from 1972, she left a lasting mark on the resort’s development.

Martine Rolland

A mountaineer, at 30 she became Europe’s first female high-mountain guide, despite the scepticism of her male colleagues. She went on to climb her first 8,000-metre peak, Broad Peak, then Denali in Alaska, completely unsupported.