Chanousia botanical garden

On leaving the hospice, crossing the road and returning towards the Italian border you come toChanousia Alpine garden which also has its own story to tell.One of the most prosperous periods of Little St. Bernard's Hospice was during Abbot PierreChanoux's fifty-year rectorate (from 1859 until his death in 1909). He was an exceptional characterwho tried in every way to inject life into the pass: he combined providing assistance to travellerswith various activities aimed to protect the environment and inform travellers about the naturalenvironment surrounding them.Chanoux got his idea for a "jardin d'acclimatation pour la flore alpine" from his small vegetablegarden where he grew rare and medicinal plants. It was one of the first in the Alps and soonacquired international fame, its collection of plant species from all over the world continued toincrease within this hectare of land.When Chanoux died at the age of 81, the botanical garden was named "Chanousia" in his honour. Itwas left to the University of Turin but continued to be run by the Order of Maurice, attracting theinterest and attention of the international scientific world. The project was personally supervised byLino Vaccari, a botanist who had begun working with Chanoux, and by the naturalist De Marchifrom Milan who contributed to the construction of a building used as laboratory, library and guestroomfor scholars and researchers. This continual growth (in the 1930s Chanousia boasted amaximum of 4000 plant species) was interrupted by the Second World War and in 1943 the gardenwas completely abandoned and heavily damaged during the following two years.It was only in 1976, after years and years of negotiations regarding the property (the newboundaries placed Chanousia in French territory despite belonging to the Mauritian Order) and theChanousia International Foundation was created and rebuilding, research and cultivation beganonce again. Today visitors can see this precious collection of alpine flowers in flower beds andmountain habitats all within the limited space of a garden.