From Château de Sales to Chapelle de Sales
Château de Sales, the de Sales family's first residence in Thorens, was located some 200 meters above the Château de Thorens. It was here that Saint François de Sales was born on August 21, 1567. Just 63 years later, Sales was destroyed during the French occupation of the Duchy of Savoy.
In the spring of 1630, Louis XIII, King of France, ordered his troops to invade the Duchy of Savoy. Arriving under the ramparts of Annecy, the royal army, commanded by Gaspard III de Coligny (1584-1646), marshal of Châtillon, met resistance from Baron Louis de Sales (1577-1654), captain-governor of Annecy, at the head of his garrison. From May 23 to 25, 1630, Baron de Sales, younger brother of St. Francis, set out to resist the royal ost. However, the Annecy garrison was no match for the French king's army. Louis capitulated on the third day, surrendering with the honors of war.
Thanks to this surrender, Baron de Sales avoided a bloody outcome to the siege of Annecy and spared the lives of its inhabitants. Nevertheless, the reaction of Louis XIII and Richelieu was swift: in order to wash away what they considered an affront, but which was none other than the bravery of Louis de Sales, the Marshal de Châtillon was ordered to Thorens to dismantle the Château de Sales. There is no mention of any reprisals against the baron. However, out of gratitude to Louis de Sales for preserving the lives of the people of Annecy, and as compensation for the destruction of the Château de Sales, the Duke of Savoy, Victor-Amédée I, elevated the Baron de Sales to the title of Count (1632). Louis de Sales and his family then moved to Château de Thorens.
It is in this same château de Thorens, acquired by Saint François de Sales on behalf of his family in 1602, that Louis' descendants (the de Roussy de Sales family) still reside today. In 1672, three of Louis de Sales' sons built a chapel on the ruins of the château de Sales, precisely on the site of their uncle Saint François' birthplace. The chapel was restored by Count François de Roussy de Sales (1860-1943). He added a vault in which the ashes of his ancestors, buried in the parish church of Thorens (chapelle saint Sébastien), were laid to rest. The de Sales chapel has been the necropolis of the de Roussy de Sales family ever since.
The last Count of Thorens, Jean-François de Roussy de Sales (1928-1999), grandson of Count François, now rests in this chapel alongside his ancestors. The site has been listed since 1982. The chapel's main decorative feature is a Baroque altarpiece dating from 1677, which was poorly restored in the 19th century.
In the chapel of the former château de Sales, St. Francis was inspired by God to create the Visitation order. The 19th-century stone cross in front of today's Sales chapel marks this precise spot.
