Read

Geography

Read is located at 14 km in the east of the Saint-Dié-of-Vosges, on a small affluent (Blue) of the Fave supplied with nine brooks. The commune leans with the massive Vosgien and culminates with the Chaume of Read (974 m). It is bordering on the Département of Haut-Rhin but the escarpé relief does not offer any road collar towards the Alsace. Read is built on the leaning one of a hill at the top of which the church is where one goes up by a stone staircase. However, the Tunnel Maurice-Lemaire disencloses the sector in direction of Holy-Marie-with-Mines. Two ways largely borrowed by the inhabitants of Read lead to Sainte Marie-with-Mines. One leads on the place of the market and the other joined the hill of the cross of mission to Sainte Marie-with-Mines. Between the two villages, one notices on the edge of the remote way one of the other, four small vaults in ruins, and on the top while arriving at Sainte Marie-with-Mines, the large cross which the inhabitants of Holy-Marie-with-Mines call the Cross of Mission. this hill was used formerly as martyrdom where one still went to the 19th century in procession, deployed banners, the day of the Good Friday. The priest of Sainte Marie-with-Mines Medeleine, accompanied by all the clergy and a great number of parishioners made a halt in front of the four vaults. While entering the forest, one finds a splendid group of rocks of the most picturesque aspect, which is named the Pierre de Lusse .

; Locality and variations:

the three houses
Bet the
the Thatch of Read
Bilistein (name of the lord of Read)
Dolot

History

Founded by monks come from Saint-Dié, the city, named originally Lucila , was for a long time one of most important of the valley. A first census gone back to 1249 gives a report on 1.803 inhabitants; they were 1.623 in 1867. Mines of Lead, Copper and money were worked at the 15th century. There was formerly a strong castle.

The village of Read and the surroundings were in the past inhabited. With, it is mentioned Lords of Taintrux, Provenchères, Fraize, Anould, Colroy, Saulcy, Lusse, Lesseux and Laveline. It is not impossible that the castle whose we mentioned the existence belonged to the one of these Lords. One can however only make assumptions, because this old feudal monument was completely destroyed during the Guerre Thirty year old and we could get to us for the moment no document which enables us to recall his history.

With the other end of the village and the foot of the hill, one formerly saw an old castle with turrets which belonged to the family of Lesseux of Saint-Dié and which was burnt in 1822. One of the descendants of this very former family also remaining with Saint-Dié made build on the old feudal site, a country house which he lived at the beautiful season. In front of this house, extended a vast meadow and on the right a slope which was transformed into English garden. Has Lusse as in all the valley, the industrial influence of Sainte Marie-with-Mines at the 19th century was felt so much so that many houses were occupied by tisserands which worked for the manufacturers of this city. Weaving represented at the time, allied with agriculture, the main activity of the commune.

In 1905, the population of Read was still of 1.184 inhabitants, divided in 165 houses gathered in the center and five variations, and 27 detached houses. There were five elementary schools and a convent of the congregation of Divine Providence whose sisters acted as nurses.

Inheritance

Church

The church Saint Jean-Baptiste de Lusse was built at various times. The nave goes back to 1830, while the tower and the chorus appear older. With judging some by the windows in semicircular arch and the sharp edges vaults which one sees in the chorus, this part of the monument would go back to Xe or XIe century. As of the 12th century, one sees the warhead being introduced into the religious construction industries and dominating there until the 17th century. The bell-tower rather high and is surmounted by a small tin temple, which makes a rather odd effect thus perched on this hurdy-gurdy tower. One can go up there by a practiced staircase of the interior. Arrived on the top of the tower, one enjoys a rather pretty wide sight on part of the village and surroundings. The interior of the church is furnished with some tables, but what draws especially the attention it is the pulpit, works curious which dates from XVe or XVIe century. It is carved out of wood with much art; of a singularity however that it is noticed there they are the attributes that one sees on the four panels and who appear little harmonizes some with the goal of this ecclesiastical piece of furniture unless it is not supposed that these emblems refer to the pastoral functions of serving church. On one of these panels the artist represented an ancient flute and a bird, around a garland of pinks; on the second of the flutes in saltire and a garland of reasons; the third represents a flûter and a hunting horn, and the fourth finally a violoncello, a book of music and an angel. The bottom of the pulpit is finished by a grape. The upper part of the pulpit forms a species of cupola finished by a figure of angel.

Of the old church at the entry of the village, it remains only one martyrdom of the 12th century.

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