JEAN-FRANÇOIS ALBANIS BEAUMONT (1753-1812)
Col du Saint Gothard (2, 108m - 6,916 ft)
Switzerland
In Ascension du Gothard from Journey in the Alps Lepontine from France to Italy, 1800, aquatint
The mountain pass
The Col du Saint-Gothard (2, 108m - 6,916 ft), in Italian Passo del Gottardo, in German Gotthardpass, is a mountain pass of the Swiss Alps which connects Andermatt in the Canton of Uri to Airolo in the canton of Ticino. This pass, whose name refers to Gothard de Hildesheim, provided most of the direct flows of people and goods between northern Switzerland and Ticino and Italy, and more generally between the center of the plain of Pô and North Europe.
The vast glacial basin that leads to the pass itself is a place of passage that has been used for centuries, which has contributed to the prosperity of the cities of Milan and Zurich, linking them directly. It would have been opened around 1220, thanks in particular to the construction of the Pont du Diable (The Bridge of Evil) which brings the advantage over other passes of the Central Alps to be relatively low and to have valleys easy to access.
It was linked with the constitution of a first confederation of Swiss cantons (Confederation of III Cantons) at the end of the 13th century around Lake Lucerne and towards Ticino. At that time, the canton of Uri enjoyed a new importance and potential income from the toll. His dependence of the Count of Zurich Rudolf II, from the house of Habsburg, was bought in 1231 in the name of Frederick II.
The first mention of an hospice existing in this mountain pass, dates back to 1237. Four centuries later, in 1602, Frederic Borromée established a priest there and built a house for travelers in 1623-1629. From 1685 to 1841, the establishment is managed by the Capuchin brothers. After the fall of an avalanche in 1774 (as it can be seen in the painting above) the building is rebuilt in stone, accompanied by an octagonal stable. The old "Souste" (now the National Museum of St. Gothard) was erected in 1834-1837 according to plans of Domenico Fontana. This rectangular building, with portico and characteristic arcades on the main façade, was restored in 1983-1986. The building initially served as a hotel for wealthy travelers, but also as a warehouse and customs post. It later became a dependency of the Albergo Monte Prosa, established on plans by A. Regli and inaugurated in 1886.
A dam was constructed in the cervical bowl of the pass. During the second half of the 20th century, the lake near the pass was immersed in obsolete munitions by the Swiss army.
To reach Airolo, there are two routes that leave from the summit:
- Tremola vecchia (meaning "old trembling" in Italian), the old road, still almost entirely paved;
- A more modern road, the Nuova tremola.
To reach Andermatt, the winding road offers a view of beautiful scenery.
The route of the pass is regularly borrowed by the cyclist Tour de Suisse. Since its creation in 1933, this competition has passed 37 times on the Gotthard.
The painter
Sir Jean-François Albanis Beaumont, draughtsman, aquatint engraver, and landscape painter, was born in Chambery in 1753, but naturalized in England. He studied classics in Chambéry and when he was 17 years old went to Paris. He studied 4 years at the Royal College of Engineering of Mézières and received several commissions in the Bourbonnais.
Returning in 1775 to Chambéry, he designed the decorations for the celebrations of the marriage of Clotilde de France and Prince Charles-Emmanuel. Engineer Filippo Nicolis di Robilant encouraged him to work for king Victor Amadeus III, who placed him with the chief engineer of the county of Nice, where he took part in the important works underway in Port Lympia. He was inscribed on April 30, 1780, in the class of civil architects of the University of Turin.
He accompanied the Duke of Gloucester, William Frederick of Hanover in his Grand Tour (Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland), who subsequently entrusted him with the education of his children. He then settled in Britain and married an Englishwoman of Protestant religion.
In 1787 he began to publish his first works illustrated with his own drawings "Picturesque travel to the Pennine Alps", "Historical and picturesque journey of the County of Nice", "Journey through the Rhaetian Alps in 1786", "Selected views of antiquities And ports in the south of France "and" Travel through the Maritime Alps".
In 1796, his mission was completed and he could return to Savoie and settle near Genevawhere in 1798 he bought a small agricultural estate on the commune of Thônex with which he planned to enter the trade of wool. He does not find the success expected and must soon resell everything and resume his work as geographer and traveler.
In 1800, he published "Journey in the Alps Lepontine from France to Italy" and then "Description of the Greek and Cote Alps" (1802 and 1806).
In 1810, he died at the monastery of Sixt of which he became the owner. He had resumed the exploitation of the iron mines, but he faced too many difficulties. He is buried on the spot.
The views of the towns and landscapes he drew are very sought after and give an idea of the appearance of these places at the time.
