• 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
Chiesa di San Francesco di Sales - Champdepraz

Parish church of San Francesco di Sales

Champdepraz

The parish is situated in the chief town and dates back to the end of the seventeenth century. The altar is the work of a Valsesian sculptor from the 18th century, it was damaged in 1886 by a fire and then immediately restored by a Valsesian sculptor, …

Churches and shrines
Panorama di Antagnod

Bisous Chapel

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Located in the small district of Bisous, just 1 Km from Antagnod; it is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snow, celebrated on the 5th of August.

Churches and shrines
Panorama di Antagnod - Ayas

Magneaz Chapel

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

The chapel dates from two very different ages: the presbytery, with its vault and ribbed ceiling, is dated to the end of the XV century - from the age of the great merchant George of Challant, and in fact the Challant coat of arms is found on the vault …

Churches and shrines
Churches and shrines

Oliva Chapel

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Dedicated to Maria Auxilium Christianorum. The chapel was built by the parish priest Dandrès in 1840. It appears that on Palm Sunday the chapel was visited to bless the olive palms, a tradition that continues to present day.

Churches and shrines
The baroque altar

Parish church of San Martino - Antagnod

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Only the lower part of the perimeter walls and the choir remains of the primitive church with three naves and enormous pillars and centred arches. The presbytery was raised first around 1600 when the first Baroque altar was built, then again in 1700, …

Churches and shrines
Chiesa di Sant'Anna.

Parish church of Sant'Anna-Champlouc

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

In the square, immediately after the bridge, there are two churches side by side, both dedicated to Sant’Anna. The oldest of the two already existed in 1659, but was rebuilt and completed with a bell tower in 1715. Here in 1770 a school was founded, with …

Churches and shrines
Churches and shrines

Pracharbon Chapel

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Dedicated to St. Martin, dating from 1736 and built amid woodland, along an old mule track linking Ayas to Brusson. Visible only from outside.

Churches and shrines
Santuario di Barmasc - Ayas

Sanctuary Notre-Dame du Bon Secours

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Barmasc is a district upstream of Antagnod, at an altitude of 1,828 metres. The sanctuary, dedicated to “Notre-Dame du Bon Secours”, immediately attracted crowds of pilgrims from far off parishes: the processions are still well known that arrived in the …

Churches and shrines
Panorama di Ayas

San Pietro e San Defendente Chapel - Periasc District

Champoluc/Ayas/Antagnod

Situated in the Periasc district of Ayas, the chapel was restored by the parish priest Dandrès in 1861, as one can read on the facade: “Commencee et mise a couvert en 1861 finie en 1863 et benie le 11 octobre meme annee”; a dedication over the door reads …

Churches and shrines
Churches and shrines

Chapels

Champorcher

Each village has its own chapel, typically built over the last centuries thanks to money left in wills by inhabitants. Many still retain their original appearance: Verana, Outre-Léve, Salleret, Grand-Rosier, which dates back to the XVIII century, Petit …