• 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
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
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Parish Church of San Pietro in Vincoli

Donnas

The parish church is located at the centre of the town right next to the train station. It was rebuilt in 1830 on the foundations of the previous one and is a wealth of frescoes with an imposing main altar in XVIII century marble. Important wooden craft …

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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
Chiesa di San Biagio - Doues

Parish Church of San Biagio

Doues

The parish of Doues existed as early as 1176, as a result of a Papal Bull by Alexander III. It was firstly joined with that of Allein and it is not known when they separated. The first church in Doues, dedicated to St. Peter, is located in the village of …

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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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Churches and shrines
The façade

Saint Roch chapel

Emarèse

The church is located at the entrance to Erésaz hamlet. The original chapel dedicated to Saint Roch was presumably built in the early years of the 18th century, because the first document mentioning it dates back to a pastoral visit of 1713. Under the …

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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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