• 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
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Chapel of the village of Eternod

Étroubles

The chapel of the village of Eternod Dessus, founded in 1653, is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Barbara, celebrated respectively on 13 June and 4 December. On the facade the frescoes depict St. Bernard, the Virgin Mary and St. Anselm. …

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Churches and shrines
Chiesa parrocchiale

Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta

Étroubles

Located in the historic centre of the town, at the end of the main street. The church was mentioned as early as 1177 in a Papal Bull by Alexander III as a dependent of the rectorship of Gran San Bernardo, despite the fact the bishop gave it certain …

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Churches and shrines
Cappella del Kiry - Fontainemore

Chapels

Fontainemore

The area of Fontainemore is home to eleven chapels, build by the “macons” (builders) in each village as a symbol of autonomy in each district. The frescoed chapels are Madonna della Neve Chapel in the Niana district, the San Francesco di Sales Chapel in …

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Churches and shrines
the church and the bridge seen from above

Parish church of Sant'Antonio Abate

Fontainemore

It was built in 1494 in the place of an old chapel and rebuilt in 1679, after the building was destroyed by a landslide. A Latin inscription which was sculpted in Gothic style characters on the stone of a window, which was once part of the Church and is …

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Churches and shrines
The village and its belltower

Saint Michael archangel parish church

Gaby

In 1786 an episcopal decree by Monsignor De Solar allowed the hamlet of Gaby to have its own parish, indipendent from the one of Issime: the parish church of Saint Michael archangel was built on the site of the ancient chapel of Saint-Michel of …

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Churches and shrines
Santuario di Vourry - Gaby

Vourry Sanctuary

Gaby

The Sanctuary is situated 980 metres above sea level, approximately 2 km outside the Gaby village. Dedicated to Our Lady of Thanks, it became a place of pilgrimage, mostly famous from 1833, namely when it became a Sanctuary. In fact, it was initially …

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Churches and shrines
Gignod church - facade

Parish Church of Sant'Ilario

Gignod

The church dominates from an elevated position in the centre of town. The parish of Gignod is mentioned in a Papal Bull by Alexander III from 1176. The current church appears to date no earlier than the XV century. Not only the architectural structure …

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Churches and shrines
In summer

Church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine

Gressan

The church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine, better known as “La Madeleine Chapel” was built in the XII century. From the XIV to the XVI century the parish of La Magdeleine lived through great political and economical prosperity. In those centuries, the …

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Churches and shrines
Sant'Anna chapel in winter...

Chapels

Gressoney-La-Trinité

The chapel of Bie The chapel of Biel dates back to 1636 and originally bore the name of Our Lady of the Snows while today it is dedicated to Saints Rocco and Sebastiano, celebrated on August 16th. This chapel is located along the trail that connects the …

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Churches and shrines
Gressoney-La-Trinité

Parish church of the Holy Trinity

Gressoney-La-Trinité

Since its foundation in 1702, the church has been dedicated to the Holy Trinity, but its patron is Saint Francis Xavier, given that it could not be attributed the patronal title of the Three Divine Persons. Interesting details: the main altar, …

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