• 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
The sanctuary

Shrine of Rochefort

Arvier

The shrine of Rochefort, dedicated to Maria Ausiliatrice (Our Lady Help of Christians) was erected at the end of the nineteenth century on the headland where the castle of the Lords of Avise once stood, it was already in ruins at the end of the 18th …

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Churches and shrines
The church and the Blonay castle

Saint Brice parish church

Avise

Situated in the chief town, the building was erected on the foundations of another older, low, irregular and small one, which was entirely demolished. According to tradition, the parish church once stood between Runaz and Pierre Taillée, on the Roman …

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Churches and shrines
Sant'Anna chapel in Cérignan - Aymavilles

Chapel of Sant'Anna in Cérignan

Aymavilles

The Saint Ann chapel, in Cerignan, was built in 1749. The construction was financed by the people of the village, which was almost two hours away from the mother church of Aymavilles, in order to invoke the protection of the saint and receive the …

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Churches and shrines
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Chapel of the Saints Barbara and Theodule in Ozein

Aymavilles

Chapel of the Saints Barbara and Theodule, in Ozein, dating back to the 16th century, but rebuilt in the nineteenth century. Every year, during the month of August, the statue of Saint Theodule is brought around in a procession, decorated with bunches …

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Churches and shrines
Interno chiesa

Saint-Léger church

Aymavilles

Slightly upstream from the village centre of Aymavilles, along the road that leads to Cogne, the church with its characteristic “trompe-l’oeil” façade, in its current forms, dates back to 1762, but the belltower originates from the previous building, on …

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Churches and shrines
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Sant'Andrea chapel in Pont d'Ael

Aymavilles

Saint Andrew chapel, in the cozy village of Pont D’Ael, known for its spectacular Roman aqueduct bridge, is already mentioned in 1693, but it is certainly older. The village is located along the hiking trail Cammino Balteo.

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Churches and shrines
Chiesa di San Lorenzo - Chambave

Parish church of San Lorenzo

Chambave

At the beginning of the 12th century, the parish was dependant on the monastery of Fruttuaria, which transferred it in 1182, along with all the other assets held by the abbey in Valle d’Aosta, to the parish of St-Gilles di Verrès. This two-fold …

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Churches and shrines
Verale Chapel

Chapel of Verale village

Donnas

In the Verale pasture, at 1215 meters above sea level, stands the chapel dedicated to the transfiguration of Our Lord, founded in 1753. In the village you can also see the community oven used for baking bread. In the past, the faithful went in procession …

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Churches and shrines
S.Orso chapel - Donnas

S.Orso chapel

Donnas

One of the oldest chapels in the Donnas area, it is located west of the medieval village and was allegedly founded to safeguard the houses from the frequent and dangerous floods of the Dora Baltea river. The chapel seems to have already been mentioned in …

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Churches and shrines
View over the valley

Parish Church of San Pantaleone

Emarèse

The parish church, dedicated to St. Pantaleon, is not located in the village of Emarèse, but half way between the main town and the district of Erésaz; dedicated to Holy Mary, it was acknowledged in a document dating from 1176, but later annexed with …

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