Country France Department Savoie Time zone CET (UTC+1) Elevation 479 m Population 4,151 (1999) Arrondissement Albertville | Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Canton Moûtiers INSEE/Postal code 73181 /73600 Area 3.16 km² Local time Monday 8:52 PM | |
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Weather 14°C, Wind SW at 5 km/h, 69% Humidity | ||
Moûtiers, historically also called Tarentaise, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
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Map of 73600 Mo%C3%BBtiers, France
It is the access point to the Les Trois Vallées ski area and its train station, although not on a high-speed rail line, consequently is a seasonally important destination for TGV trains from Lyon, Paris and beyond.
Geography
Moûtiers is located deep in the Tarentaise Valley. It is its geographic capital, between Albertville and Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Several popular French ski resorts are located in its vicinity. The Isère river flows through the town.
History
Moûtiers was the capital of the Ceutrones, a Celtic tribe of Gaul. Its antique name, Darantasia, appears on a surviving ancient Roman road map known as the Tabula Peutingeriana. In a medieval text dating from 996, Moûtiers was called Monasterium (root of the word "monastery") from which its later names, Moustiers and finally Moûtiers, were derived.
Moûtiers was the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tarentaise. The archdiocese was disbanded in 1801, and reestablished as the Diocese of Tarentaise. This diocese was united with the diocese of Chambéry and diocese of St-Jean-de-Maurienne to form the diocese of Chambéry, Maurienne and Tarentaise.
Today, the town has a small historic center with narrow streets surrounding Saint-Pierre cathedral.
It hosted the TV display for the 1992 Winter Olympics.