La Magdeleine The Mills of La Magdeleine

The mills of La Magdeleine are a fascinating treasure from the past, a reminder of a time when these ancient constructions formed the beating heart of rural civilization.
Along the hamlets of Brengon, Clou and Messelod, following the watercourse fed by springs at the foot of Mount Tantané, stand eight water mills, seven of which have been restored.
These vestiges of a bygone era can still grind grain as they once did when the fields surrounded the village.   The origins of the mills are lost in the centuries, bearing witness to human settlements in the present commune of La Magdeleine.   Mills played a crucial role in the rural economy, so much so that owning a field or land also meant the right to use a particular mill for a set period.
Trivia about the Mills Inside, there is a fine 18th-century painting depicting the martyrdom of St. Sebastian and an exceptional ex-voto painting from 1704, celebrating the salvation of the village of Courmayeur from French invasionIn the chapel to the left of the chancel, an inscription commemorates the stay in Courmayeur in 1930 of Prince Umberto di Savoia and Princess Maria José, on their honeymoon.
The bell tower, of uncertain age but dating from the 11th or 12th century, is a unique example in the Aosta Valley.
The spire, reworked later, resembles a tiara, perhaps in homage to the popes of Avignon.
With seven bells from different periods, the bell tower is a distinctive feature of the church. Their peculiarity lies in their “chain” arrangement, to make the best use of the scarce water available.
Consequently, they used a special “technology”: horizontal hydraulic wheel mills, in direct drive without gears, to move the millstones directly.