Above the picturesque town of St. Maurice, which is full of culture and history, the Fairy Grotto towers majestically over the Rhone Valley, like a silent guardian of nature and time. This mystical cave, the first of its kind in Switzerland, has been opening its stone arms to curious visitors for over a century, offering a breathtaking natural spectacle of shimmering water and ancient rocks.
Through the power of human imagination, the journey into the depths of the earth becomes an unforgettable adventure. Every step along the illuminated galleries is like a whisper of the mountain, revealing secrets that have been hidden for eons in the play of light and shadow. The true highlight of this underground exploration, however, is revealed after half a kilometer, when the visitor encounters the hidden lake - a silent jewel crowned by a rushing, dizzying waterfall. Here, in the silence and the echo of the drops, one feels the magic of the earth first hand.
Story
The cave, originally known as "Trou aux Fayes", served since ancient times as a refuge for the local population persecuted by barbarians. In 1831, an expedition led by Haller and Ott reached a depth of 600 metres. From 1864, Canon Gard, a professor at the Abbey of St. Maurice, marked the history of the cave by organising important excavation and construction work. It is believed that during this period access to the lake was opened by mines.
Gard dedicated the cave to an orphanage and in 1865 transferred the management of the cave to the nuns of St. Maurice. He renamed the cave "Grotte aux Fées", a more romantic name that was well received at the time. In 1925, Fournier and Virieux discovered a higher net and advanced to a point that is still considered the end point today.
Legend of Frisette
In the depths of the Alpine mountains, hidden in a sparkling grotto illuminated by magical crystals, lived the graceful and kind fairy Frisette. Her palace was in the Grotto of St. Maurice, a place so magical that the stars of the night sky seemed to live there. With a gentle smile and a protective hand, Frisette watched over the noble Duin family, who resided in the majestic castle above Bex, a proud structure that rose like a crown over the valley.
But just as light is always accompanied by shadows, there were not only good fairies in those days. Among the dark creatures of this world, the witch Turlure was one of the most dangerous. Her eyes sparkled maliciously like the hidden depths of a dark lake, and her heart was as cold as the glaciers of the Diablerets. A massive rockfall had driven her from her dark cave, and homeless and full of resentment, she wandered through the mountains until, in desperation, she sought the help of her former rival Frisette.
With a generosity that would have softened the heavens, Frisette opened the gates of her gleaming palace and offered Turlure sanctuary. But she imposed one strict condition: Turlure was not to harm anyone in the area. For a while, the witch kept this promise, but her evil nature, like an untamed storm, could not be suppressed forever. It was as if the wind always carried disaster in her direction.
One fateful day, as the two children of the Duin family were playing on the sparkling banks of the Rhone, Turlure crept up with a hint of malice. With a smile that chilled the air, she pushed the innocent little ones into the deep water. The gentle roar of the river turned into a scream, but before the flood could swallow them, Frisette saw the disaster from afar. With a flash of her ceremonial wand, she disappeared in a whirlwind of golden light and appeared in the midst of the raging current.
With the grace of a summer wind, she rescued the children, drawing them to the safety of the shore, but her anger at the traitor was aroused. In a moment of stirring justice, in defiance of her infinite goodness, Frisette raised her wand and pointed it at Turlure. A bolt of lightning struck the witch, who fell screaming into the boiling water, where the current carried her mercilessly away. But in that same instant, in the heat of her anger, Frisette's mighty wand broke in two.
The loss of this magical instrument, which had protected her from evil countless times, cut deeper into her heart than any enemy hand. With a last, painful look at the land she had once guarded with so much love and care, Frisette, lost in grief, disappeared from the area forever. The Grotto of St. Maurice, once illuminated by her splendor, faded into the twilight of legends. Only the wind that swept over the Rhone still whispered her name sometimes.
The ham bone
The old ham bone, still hanging heavily from the vault, tells of a time long gone when magic and mischief played together. The story begins with Frisette, a beautiful and kind fairy who was known not only for her magic powers but also for her zest for life. Her heart belonged to a lively and charming husband who loved her so much that they always spent their time together in bliss.
One balmy day, they strolled hand in hand along the shore of a deep blue lake, whose surface caught the sun like a sparkling mirror. The two were so in love that Frisette decided to kiss her husband at each of the 68 bends of the path. At the 41st bend, just as Frisette tilted her head back to receive another kiss, she suddenly blinked to the side and saw the 12 dwarves of the grotto, giggling and hiding behind a large rock.
"Come out, you little rascals!" cried Frisette in a tone that was both loving and determined. The dwarves immediately came out of their hiding place and promised to stay where they were until Frisette and her husband returned from their walk. But one of them, the little wise guy Pipo, had other plans. Curious and always on the lookout for an adventure, he crept after the two, hidden in the shadows, until they reached the castle's storeroom.
Once there, Pipo couldn't resist. With a mischievous grin, he looked at the delicious ham hanging temptingly from the ceiling. He quickly called his friends, who crept up as quietly as night. Together, each dwarf with a piece of ham in his hand, they devoured the prey in no time at all, not without enjoying the fun. Finally, so as not to leave any traces, Pipo jumped onto his friends' shoulders, climbed deftly up to the vault and pushed the empty ham bone between the beams - and did so in such an artistic manner that he grinned proudly when he returned safely to the ground.
When Frisette and her husband returned later, it didn't take long for Frisette to see through the prank. With a sly smile and flashing eyes, she knew immediately that only Pipo could be responsible for this prank. She found him, pulled his ears gently but firmly and led him back to the pantry to show him his misdeed.
But Pipo, not at a loss for an answer, looked up at her with big, innocent eyes and said in a honeyed tone: "But my dear Frisette, I left you the pig's feet so that you and your husband would have something to eat after your long, amorous walk."
Frisette couldn't help but burst out laughing at this charming answer. With a smile, she led the little dwarf to the lake, where she forgave him with a wink. To commemorate this unforgettable day, Pipo's mischievous image was carved into the rock by the lake, and it can still be admired there today - a silent reminder of the cheeky dwarf who stole a ham and won hearts with his wit.
Access
The grotto is easy to reach on foot and costs a small entrance fee.
