The Crocodiles of Nancy-sur-Cluses

In the 1930s, Mrs. Violland, in her book *La Terre des ancêtres*, described this distinctive feature of Nancy-sur-Cluses: “Each chalet has its own openwork, intricately carved balcony, and its beam ends sculpted into crocodile heads.” Unfortunately, most of them disappeared during roof and building renovations; three of them remain a fragile testament to the time when all the Nancherots engaged in seasonal trade. The oldest, visible to the attentive observer, is located on Place de Nancy, as you approach from Cluses, to the right of the former café “La Renaissance.” The second is located about fifty meters further down, at the end of Rue de la Loi. Finally, the crocodile in La Frasse—likely from a later period—is even more evocative; it is located on the square, near the fountain, in a former Violland house. This purely decorative motif, on a beam that serves no structural purpose, is extraordinary and unique in Savoie in these two most elaborate forms. Its origin can be traced to the places in Switzerland frequented by the Nancherot merchants, but in German-speaking Switzerland, one finds only a few rare dragon heads—and no crocodiles! For Nancy-sur-Cluses, this is a precious—yet fragile—trace of its mercantile past.