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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Border crossing dans l'Ain

Ain

Border crossing

    Crêt Mezu
    01410 Chézery-Forens
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Borne frontière
Crédit photo : Ludovic Péron - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1601
Treaty of Lyon
1612
Treaty of Auxonne
1613
Set the terminal
12 janvier 1926
MH classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Borne border between Franche-Comté and Bugey dated 1613 (A 21, 127, 128): classification by decree of 12 January 1926

Key figures

Information non disponible - No character cited The source text does not mention any actors.

Origin and history

The Lion pillar, also known as the Three Empires, is a border pillar erected in 1613 in the Jura Massif. It materialized the tripoint between the Kingdom of France, Spain (then owner of Franche-Comté) and the Savoie States. Its location, at the Magras Pass at 1,289 m altitude, made it a geopolitical symbol after the Treaty of Lyon (1601) and the Treaty of Auxonne (1612), which redefined regional boundaries.

Originally named a pillar of the Cléa (local term meaning door or passage), it was classified as a historic monument in 1926. Today, it is located at the limit of the communes of La Pesse (Jura), Chezery-Forens and Champfromier (Ain), as well as at the junction of the regions Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Franche-Comté. Accessible since La Pesse, it bears witness to the territorial tensions of the seventeenth century.

The terminal is part of a series of border markings of 1613, following the loss of Bugey by Savoy to France. Its iconography (a lion, Savoyard symbol) and its strategic location make it a rare vestige of dynastic conflicts of the time. It remains a historic landmark for hikers and border heritage enthusiasts.

External links