• 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
..

Moron Church

Saint-Vincent

Situated in the town of Moron, on the Saint-Vincent hillside.Its current structure, with a large circular apse, dates back to the XV century, when important changes were made to a probable, pre-existing Romanesque building. For some time it conserved …

Details
Churches and shrines
The imposing building

Parish church of San Vincenzo

Saint-Vincent

Built by the Benedictines in the XI century in Romanesque style, the church was subject to multiple architectures one over the another, but also some significant modern restoration (1968 - 1972).It is located on the structures of a Roman building, …

Details
Churches and shrines
Sacrario dei Partigiani

Shrine of the Partisans

Saint-Vincent

This chapel is located a few km from Col de Joux, starting from Saint Vincent. Building work for the Amay Shrine of the Partisans begun in 1951 and ended in 1962; it was commissioned by a leader partisan belonging to one of the oldest families in Saint …

Details
Churches and shrines
Tromen Chapel

Tromen Chapel

Saint-Vincent

Built by the inhabitants of Écrivin, Moulin and other districts on the bank of the Grand-Valey to appeal for protection in an area subject to river flooding.Dedicated by its founders to St. Michael and after the extension of 1747, dedicated to Our Lady …

Details
Churches and shrines
Chiesa di Saint-Eustache - Sarre

Parish Church of Saint-Eustache

Sarre

The parish church of Saint-Eustache in Chesallet dates back to the XVIII century, apart from the bell-tower (XIV century). In 1992 the parish of Chesallet inaugurated the new church, dedicated to Our Lady of Liesse and erected in Montan village.

Details
Churches and shrines
church of Saint-Maurice - Sarre

Parish Church of Saint-Maurice

Sarre

The parish church of Saint-Maurice, built in 1643 and extended in 1896, reveals the ancient origins of the bell-tower from the Romanesque period, which was probably built around the XI century.The semicircular apse remains of the ancient church where it …

Details
Churches and shrines
Chapel of Berzin

Chapel of Berzin

Torgnon

Among the oldest chapels in Torgnon, the one dedicated to Saint James dates back to around 1450. It was built in the 15th century by the notary Aymonod. The choir dates back to 1868 and may have coincided with the rebuilding of the façade, which today …

Details
Churches and shrines
Chapel of Châtelard

Chapel of Châtelard

Torgnon

In a panoramic and dominant position, the Châtelard chapel dedicated to Saint Grato overlooks the entire parish, as if protecting it from above. According to popular tradition, Saint Grato is theguardian of villages and cultivated fields, invoked in …

Details
Churches and shrines
Chapel of Gilliarey

Chapel of Gilliarey

Torgnon

The Chapel of Gillarey offers one of the most spectacular views of the Aosta Valley. Built in 1866 on a rocky spur overlooking the Buisson valley floor, it seems suspended between the sky and the mountain. It was blessed the following year by Canon Luigi …

Details
Churches and shrines
Chapel of Ponty

Chapel of Ponty

Torgnon

Along the road that goes from the main town of Torgnon to the village of Petit-Monde, you will find a pretty chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié. Built between 1720 and 1730, the chapel is set in the rock, right along the stretch connecting the …

Details