Conjux
Conjux is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. Since January 2017, the commune has formed part of the conurbation of Grand Lac, following the fusion of the former Communauté de communes de Chautagne into this larger agglomeration.
At 175 ha, the smallest commune in the region of Chautagne, Conjux extends for 5 km along the northwestern coastline of Lac du Bourget; it is bounded to the north by the Canal de Savières and backed by Mount Landard to the west. The commune of Conjux includes the hamlets of La Chatière, Portout and Semelas. Reflecting its mixed role as a residential and recreational location, 42% of its residential buildings are counted as secondary residences.
Toponym
The name of the commune is believed to be derived, via the forms 'Conziacum', 'Conjiacum' and 'Conjeux', from late Latin 'Congiacum', meaning the 'domain of Congius.' Its derivation is not related to the Latin homonym, 'conjux'.As with many polysyllabic Arpitan toponyms or anthroponyms, the final -x marks oxytonic stress, whereas the final -z indicates paroxytonic stress and should not be pronounced, although in French it is often mispronounced due to hypercorrection.
Economic activity
Fishing was traditionally the mainstay of the village, but today only two professional fishermen are based in the commune. The recently expanded Port of Conjux is now largely used for recreational boating and amateur fishing. Economic activity is largely confined to small businesses, including a burgeoning supply of holiday accommodation and a restaurant, and salaried work in nearby cities such as Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry. The commune maintains a municipal camping ground,, and a bathing beach, as well as managing the boating harbour. The commune recently also undertook a major plan to redevelop the port and beach area, the 'Port-Plage' project, entailing enlargement of the port, opening up of the Biez rivulet to restore the natural waterway, and improvements to tourist and fishing facilities.Chapel
The chapel of Saints-Crépin-et-Crépinien at Conjux dates in part from the 15th century. Formerly a parish church, it was not restored to that status following the reestablishment of worship after the Concordat of 1801. It was established as a vicarial chapel in 1883. The building was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1826, fell in ruins in 1886, and was restored in several stages. The rebuilt neoGothic nave has a ribbed vault, linked to a side chapel comprising remains of the 15th Century building. The interior includes a polished wood statue of the Madonna and Child from the 14th Century, Gallo-Roman remains including an inscribed funerary stone, and an altar of Cybele.Archeology
An underwater archaeological site, Conjux-le-Port-3, includes visible remains from prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, with evidence of occupation from Neolithic to late Bronze Age times and the discernable outline of the now submerged village. Dendrochronological evidence dates the Conjux-Port 1 site from between 832 and 813 BC. The site was classified as an historical monument in 2011.Portout was the site of a Gallo-Roman pottery, active in the third century CE. The site was excavated between 1976 and 1983: the objects discovered now form the bulk of the collection on display at the in neighbouring Chanaz.