Heritage: Châtillon

The Roman bridge that sits above the Marmore river used to rest on the rocky banks of the river and had a single round arch with a span of approximately 15 metres.

Built with square blocks of local stone, on the surface of which, the small cavities for anchoring the pincers with which the stone elements were lifted, are still clearly visible.

According De Tillier, a historian from Valle d’Aosta, its destruction came about during the withdrawal of the French troops in 1691, but we find it represented fully in a print, which may be idealised, dating from 1797.

On the moraine hill of Saint-Clair, south of the railway station in Châtillon, you can see a few remains of an ancient wall: these are the last remains of the Des Rives castle, at whose foot there was an ancient village, already abandoned in 1242, owing to its vulnerability to flooding.

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The castle
Built at the beginning of the 1900s following the plans of the engineer Carlo Saroldi, it was commissioned by Charles Maurice Gamba, husband of Angélique d‘Entrèves, daughter of Count Christin d‘Entrèves. Since 1982 it has become property of the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region.

The contemporary and modern art collection
After a complex restoration work, today the castle houses an exhibition route distributed through 13 rooms, with over 150 works of art such as paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings and photographs belonging to a regional collection dating back from the end of the nineteenth century to the present day.
Beside the works of the maestros of the 20th century, including the sculptures of Martini, Mastroianni, Manzù, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, and paintings by Casorati, De Pisis, Carrà and Guttuso, the collection documents Italian figurative art production from the second half of the century up to contemporary research exponents, such as Schifano, Baruchello, Rama and Mainolfi.
A vast and varied selection of works testifies to the movements that have animated the Italian art scene over the past 25 years: for example, the exhibition hosts representations of informal art, geometric abstraction, transavantgarde and pop art. Particular importance is given to the Aosta Valley region through the activity of local artists, or those active in the Valley, on regional commission.

For visitors seeking both learning and distraction, the exhibition offers a series of services designed to bring different categories of visitors (families, adults, schools, children, young people) closer to modern and contemporary art through workshop activities, guided tours and events.

The park
The castle is surrounded by an english park, which stretches over a total area of 54.000 square metres, and which hosts about 150 trees of different species. Inside there are three monumental trees: the geant Sequoia from California, the Bald cypress and the Honey Locust.

Châtillon castle is behind the parish church immersed in a beautiful park.

It appears to date back to Roman times, as its name derives from “castrum” (=“castle”), and therefore points to there being a Roman fortress in its place.

After changing hands between several noble families, at the end of the 14th century, the castle became the property of the Viscounts of Aosta, who later became the lords of Challant. In 1400 Jean de Challant carried out extension work on it. From this period, we still have the archive hall with wooden ceiling and frescoes similar to the ones in Fénis castle.

In 1435, François de Challant, who had had no male children, disobeyed the Salic law and gave authorization for the castle to be passed on to his daughters on his death. Hence Catherine became the heir, however the other members of the family, asked once again for the intervention of the Duke of Savoy,k who, then named the new heir as Jacques de Challant, nephew of Jean, and declared that Catherine and her husband Pierre d’Introd were rebels. The two were determined to resist, so fortified Châtillon castle, but were soon forced to surrender to the army of Jacques, who demolished the perimeter walls and serously damaged the castle.

From Jacques it went to Louis who restored it completely. In 1502 his successor Philibert, decorated the interior of the west chapel, for the christening of his son René, with the paintings that already existed. In 1678 Georges de Challant decorated the glass arcade of the chapel with the effigy of the Holy Shroud, as a reminder of the fact that during its transfer from Chambéry to Turin, the precious relic was deposited.

In 1717 Paolina Solaro of Govone, wife of Georges-François, began the third reconstruction works on the castle. After modification and extension work, in not only changed in terms of appearance, but it also became more comfortable. Paolina is also responsible for creating the lime tree walkway and the French-style garden.

In 1755 an earthquake seriously damaged the castle, and it was not until 1769 that Charles-François-Octave was able to start work on reconstruction of the roof and the walls. In 1770 the district went to François-Maurice, who died a year after the birth of his only son Jules-Hyacinthe. who thus became sole heir under the guardianship of his mother Gabriella Canalis de Cumiana. However on 2 May 1802, at the age of seven, the last descendent of the Challants died.

In 1814, after 18 years of widowhood, Gabriella married Aimé Passerin d’Entrèves, who, in 1841, after the death of his wife, inherited all Challant assets.

His descendants carried out father new works: they demolished the hexagonal tower situated at the entrance along with the drawbridge, replacing it with the keeper’s lodge, the greenhouse and the stables. They built a window tower to illuminate the large staircase that leads to the upper floor and they lined the park with fencing.

The castle is private and open to the public only on particular occasions, while it is possible to visit the park.

Standing on a marked, rocky promontory, Ussel castle overlooks the south side of the residential area of Châtillon.
Built by Ebalo II of Challant in the mid 14th century (the date is confirmed by dendrochronological analyses), the castle marks a change in Valdostan fortress architecture. Indeed, it is the first single body castle in Val d’Aosta, which was the last evolutionary phase of medieval castles, and marked the passage between the contemporary castle in Fénis and the rigid forms in Verrès.

Having passed on numerous occasions from the Challants to the Savoys and vice versa, the castle then became a prison, until it was abandoned completely. Having bought the castle from the Passerin d’Entrèves family, heirs to the Challants, in 1983 Baron Marcel Bich donated it to the regional authority, which restored it and earmarked it as an exhibition centre.

With a large, rectangular layout, the castle is an example of good masonry that culminates in blind arcades, not present on the north side, and beautiful mullioned windows each different from the next, with floral and geometric decorations. The corners on the south side (facing the mountain) have two round towers, which were originally connected via a walkway, protected by battlements. The south side also has an entrance with an overhead machicolation. The north side, which faces Châtillon, has two four-sided towers, with a slightly projecting watchtower in between, a symbolic element of feudal power. The monumental fireplaces remain, with large shelves placed on the same ascending line, exploiting a single flue, and traces of the stairs and floor divisions.

Before restoration work began, the manor was mostly in ruins; however a precise archaeological assessment enabled identification and reintegration of the missing parts. A picturesque walkway was added along the battlement, where visitors can admire the Châtillon plain and its historic buildings.

Located to the far west of the Roman bridge over the Marmore, it was entirely rebuilt in the XIX century.
Some votive offerings are found inside.

The traditional blessing of the children takes place each year to mark the feast day of the sanctuary on the 8th of September: the Madonna delle Grazie is in fact called upon to protect the little ones.

Even if tradition wishes for its establishment to be an ancient one, in fact dating back to the passage of St. Peter during his mission to evangelise the Gauls, it is documented from the XII century onwards.
Very little remains of the primitive architecture. The current parish church was inaugurated in 1905.

Inside, can admire certain paintings from 1904 and 1905 by the Artari painters from Verrès and visit a small museum of sacred art, located on the left side of the presbytery, with some precious liturgical objects (including a precious 16th century Gothic monstrance and a 15th century silver-plated copper reliquary), wooden statues of saints from the 15th century andsacred vestments.

The Capuchin’s chapel holds centuries of history; in 1626 the Baron Paul Emmanuel of Challant, with an act dated March 22nd, ceded a building to found a monastery to the religious order. In 1633, after renovation works, the first Capuchin monks settled there.
Next to the convent there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Gratus, the powerful thaumaturgist invoked for diseases, wars and famines. Considered too small, the chapel was completely rebuilt between 1635 and 1642 and dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, depicted on a beautiful wooden altar which can be still admired nowdays inside the chapel, together with the coats of arms of the Challant and Passerin d’Entrèves families.

The French Revolution led to the suppression of many monastic institutions and after the convents of Aosta and Morgex, in 1802 it was also Châtillon’s turn: the monks were chased away and the building used as a warehouse for the troops.

After various vicissitudes and changes of use, in 1895 the Bishop of Aosta, Msgr Joseph-Auguste Duc, bought the building from the Municipality and the Convent, still today, hosts the only Capuchin community present in Aosta Valley.

The museum is located inside the former Hotel Londres, near the town hall: it hosts an exhibition of tools used in works of beekeeping in the ancient times.