• 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 Ecours

La Salle

Dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, it is mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1330. The facade is completely frescoed with images of Saint Christopher holding the Infant Jesus and Saint John the Baptist and the adoration of the …

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Churches and shrines
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Chapel of Morge

La Salle

It dates back to 1671 and is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen (feast day 22 July). The facade, which is in quite a poor state of repair, is decorated by large frescoes representing the Virgin with Child, Mary Magdalen, a warrior and Saint Christopher. …

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Churches and shrines
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Charvaz Chapel

La Salle

Dated 1621, its facade (unfortunately in very poor condition) is completely frescoed with a representation of the Universal Judgement, it is dedicated to Saint Leonard - celebrated on the 6th of November - and to Saint Gratus. The bell tower has two …

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Churches and shrines
The façade

Saint Cassian parish church

La Salle

The first documents relative to this church are the deeds of the pastoral visits of 1413 and 1416, but it may obviously be older than this. There are no remaining traces of the fifteenth century building, given that the church was rebuilt entirely in 1846 …

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Churches and shrines
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Sant'Orso church in Derby

La Salle

The primitive church of the village of Derby most likely dates back to the 11th / 12th century, while the belltower is said to date back to the 13th century. The current church has been erected in the 16th century and consecrated by Monsignor Ferragata, …

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Churches and shrines
The main facade

Saint Nicholas parish church

La Thuile

The existence of a parish in La Thuile is certified by documentary evidence dating back to the 12th century. All traces of the old church have disappeared: the current one was rebuilt during the 15th century and then again in the 18th century, following …

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Churches and shrines
Chiesa di San Rocco - Lillianes

Parish church of Saint Roch

Lillianes

Built on the foundations of an old chapel dating back to 1490, the new Parish Chruch of Saint Roch was completed in 1723. The interior of the parish church is quite large, it has three naves, separated by two rows of stone pillars. The main altar is …

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Churches and shrines
Churches and shrines

Church of San Rocco nel Borgo

Montjovet

The oldest church of Monjovet and the richest from the point of view of its historical and artistic value, given that it was the parish church for at least five centuries.It is situated at the exit of the old chief town, on a headland overhanging the …

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Churches and shrines
Chiesa della Natività di S. Maria - Monjovet

Parish church of the Nativity of Mary

Montjovet

The history of the parish of Monjovet is very complex. In the papal bull of Alexander III dated 20 April 1176 it is mentioned among the churches depending on the bishop of Aosta the “ecclesia sancti Eusebii de Plubeio”, which is said to be situated in …

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Churches and shrines
church of Morgex

Parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption

Morgex

Considering the title “plébain”, which is traditionally attributed to the parish priest, it is believed that the parish of Morgex is one of the oldest of the upper Aosta Valley. This hypothesis was confirmed by the archaeological digs which brought to …

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