• Culture

    CHURCHES

    spirituality and tradition

PLACES OF WORSHIP

Churches and chapels, many of which are significant from a historical and artistic point of view, are found in all the villages crossed by the Balteo Trail.

Religious devotion pervades this land, where crosses and shrines were built in the past, even in harsh and dangerous places, to invoke protection or to favour crops.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Sant'Orso

The cloister of the church of Sant’Orso in Aosta (stages 18-19) is considered among the highest expressions of Romanesque religious sculpture. The wooden choir, the ancient frescoes in the attic and the chapel of the Priorship are also noteworthy.

THE CATHEDRAL OF AOSTA

The Renaissance makes its entrance into Aosta with the shapes and colors of terracotta on the facade of the Cathedral. The wooden stalls in the choir, the floor mosaics, the Ottonian frescoes in the attic and the museum of treasures are also worthy of …

THE shrine OF MACHABY

Above Arnad, along stage 4, there is an ancient shrine dedicated to the Madonna of the Snow. A hostel built in a 17th-century fort and a holiday farm serving snacks based on local products offer their hospitality.

SAN MARTINO CHURCH

In Arnad (stages 4 and 22) the stone shows the sacredness of the building, a precious pearl of history and beauty. The structure (11th century) in the Romanesque style and the 14th- and 15th-century frescoes are noteworthy.

MADELEINE CHAPEL

In Gressan, a few steps off the route (stage 18), the Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine de Villa is known as the "Madeleine Chapel". The apse, the 12th-century bell tower and the frescoes by the painter Giacomino d'Ivrea are outstanding.

SAINT-VINCENT CHURCH

The church, in the welcoming pedestrian center of Saint-Vincent (stage 7), stands on the remains of a Roman building dating back to 300-400 AD.

CHURCHES ALONG THE TRAIL

Churches and shrines
Overview

Saint Andrew parish church

Antey-Saint-André

The church, dedicated to Saint Andrew, dates back to the mid XV century; it originally only had one nave, while the aisles were added in the XVII century. The belltower stands alone at the foot of the church door; tradition identifies it as a donjon ( …

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Churches and shrines
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Church of Saint-Etienne

Aosta

The church of Santo Stefano is located in the Northern zone of the city of Aosta, just outside the walled perimeter of Augusta Praetoria near the ancient Roman road which, exiting from Porta Principalis Sinistra, led to the Alpis Poenina (the current …

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Churches and shrines
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Church of the Holy Cross

Aosta

Overlooking the central Via Aubert near the Regional Library, the church was built in 1682-83 by the Brotherhood of Mercy, who had the task of assisting the prisoners and to accompany the condemned to the gallows. The Brotherhood gave the material and …

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Churches and shrines
The cloister

Collegiate church and cloister of Saint Orso

Aosta

The church The archeological dig carried out in several batches between 1976 and 1999, allowed for the building’s constructive stages to be rediscovered. The digs involved an area which used to be part of a large extra-urban necropolis, where, at the …

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Churches and shrines
Bronze Saint Gratus statue

Saint Gratus chapel

Aosta

The chapel, located in the part of Aosta known in ancient times as “Terziere della Bicheria” faces onto what is now Via De Tillier and in Medieval times was an important town road for general traffic and trade activities. In “Bicheria” there was a church …

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Churches and shrines
Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral

Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral

Aosta

What is now piazza Giovanni XXIII rises up on the southern part of what was the sacred area of the Roman Forum during the era of Augusta Praetoria, marked off spectacularly by the Cryptoporticus. The crucial importance of this area for the life of the …

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Churches and shrines
cappella di Giorgio di Challant - Priorato di S.Orso

The priory of Sant'Orso

Aosta

Between the end of 1400 and beginning 1500 George of Challant, prior of Sant’Orso and great humanist-benefactor, orders to build, beside the church of S. Orso, the priory:a luxurious residence used for representation, a building inspired by the modern …

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Churches and shrines
Chiesa di San Martino - Arnad

Parish Church of San Martino

Arnad

The Church of San Martino is located in the chief town of Arnad-Le-Vieux. The current building has a trapezoidal layout, with three naves that preserve a roof made of Gothic, low pointed cross vaults. The pillars support large arches that rest on …

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Churches and shrines
Sanctuary of the Madonna della Neve of Machaby

Shrine of the Madonna della Neve of Machaby (Madonna of the snow)

Arnad

The shrine is located at a height of 696 metres, in the Machaby valley and not far from the centre of Arnad, in a splendid position among the chestnut forests. The building, which originates from the fourteenth century, was rebuilt entirely in 1687. As …

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Churches and shrines
The belltower...

Saint Sulpitius parish church

Arvier

According to an oral tradition, which has not been supported by any documental evidence, the church of Arvier was once located within the district of Leverogne. The church was later built under the castle with the monumental bell tower which appears, …

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