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Iron, fire and water… Which was the strange alchemy
that was given birth to through their experience with steel? The Maurienne,
a small valley in the Savoie nestling in the heart of the Alps, certainly
did not claim to have witnessed this dawning, but it is most certainly
engrained into tradition that goes back throughout the ages. |
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| For a long time, solid and heavy blades,
tools, and jewellry were all made using this metal. Around 700 BC, the population
of the Alps eventually came across iron. Was it not their long swords which
were thinner, sharper and more resistant which enabled the Celts to conquer?
The mountains of the Maurienne echoed with the sound of pick-axes of miners. The mines of Bonneval, those of la Colombière in the region of Bramans, those of Plan Raphin and Monio sur Modane and those of Hurtières… The moment this metal was forged during the Middle Ages, Durandal, the legendary sword of Roland, split open the mountains. An extract from the chanson de geste: |
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«Eh ! Durandal, que tu es claire et
blanche ! |
| From time immemorial, the blades of
knives or swords were shrouded in mythology. Could one not see in a blacksmith
the being of a magician, a worthy descendant of Vulcan? It was not magic
with metallurgists however: they were simply clever. Know-how being passed
down from father to son and in which each generation was subsequently enriched. Real dynasties were sometimes created. Indeed that of Castagneri in which the founder set up in Argentine, from the middle of the XVI century. Let us also mention, for example, Gaspard Granery, count of Mercenasque, or Guillaume Savage, a gentleman from England or Robert Vligger, lord of Plisson en Brabant. And is it not known that Madame de Warens had interests in metallurgy in the Maurienne? We can also remark on her role as protector of letters. There were always these clever individuals who could eclipse the more modest craftsmen making research difficult for the Opinel family at the start of their activity. However, in the archives of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, it is surprising to read in the members list of the Société Populaire, set up in 1792, the name Opinel, iron merchant. Better still, in the work of Solange Brault-Lerch "The goldsmiths of Franche-Comté", the name of a certain Joseph Opinel can be seen, born the 8th September 1715 at Longwy. Apprentice at Dole then at Nancy, he was accepted as a master craftsman because of a masterpiece he created at a goldsmith's shop in Besançon. He was then to continue his work in Dole. Several of his works belong to museums or enrich the treasures of the various churches and chapels of the Jura. These works of stone, floral designs, shells and volute prove one thing : Joseph Opinel was a master craftsman in his field. |
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But you may ask what is
the connection between our Opinel of the Maurienne and their famous knife?
Well, first of all, Joseph Opinel may not have actually worked the steel,
but he nevertheless transformed the metal; moreover still, if his art demanded
certain artistic sense and flair, then he proceeded along the same lines
as any alchemist would have done. And above all, Joseph Opinel was from
the Maurienne. Born at Longwy, for certain, but his father, Pierre Opinel,
was of "Savoie origin, from Albiez-le-Vieil, near Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne".
He was a merchant and this is how he met his wife, Anne Lejeune, at Longwy,
during a fair. It is really not known anymore but it can be imagined. They were numerous, at Albiez-Le-Vieux as elsewhere, who went in search of fortune far from home, during winter emigration which often became definitive. What was to be sold -or bought - Pierre Opinel at Longwy? |
| Admittedly, the region would only become
famous for its iron at the end of the XIX century, but that didn't mean
that there was no such industry before. Thus, could we believe that our
Opinel, a merchant at the beginning of the XVIII century, was already specializing
in iron? The assumption would be tempting! However, there was just he and
his son, worthy representatives of the adventurous and creative spirit of
this family. Lets us return to the Maurienne. At the turn of the XIX century, what was the commune of Albiez-Le-Vieux like? Before all else, a rural commune. A third of the total surface area was made up of summer pastures, while nearly 20% were meadows providing fodder for the winter. Bovine and ovine rearing thus constituted the main economy. Hardly more than a tenth of the soil was used for the growing of crops : rye, barley, oats and potatoes. |
