Churches and shrines: Nus

This small church dates back to the XII century, although the first historic mention is in the XV century, however it does not elaborate on the structure of the building.
Various rebuilding work was mentioned during the centuries that followed, including the extension and interior decoration of the church which currently offers some interesting elements, such as the main altar and two, sculptured side altars in gilded and painted wood, dating from the XVII century.
Worth noting, the characteristic and now rare atrium at the entrance, known in the Valdostane churches as the “porche de mariage”, used for a precise liturgical function, as the term explains: under it, the preliminary rite of marriage was celebrated; it was also used to teach the catechism.
The lunette above the porch depicts St. Peter and St. Bartholomew.

The first confirmation regarding the parish church of St. Ilario dates back to the 26th February 1153. During the archaeological digs in 1990 traces were found under the choir of an age-old building dating back to the XII century with a three nave layout terminating in a large, central apse and two absidioles to the sides, all of which are semi-cylindrical. The ancient, Romanesque walls are still visible in the crypt located under the choir. Excavations result from restoration work probably dating back to the XV century. The current church was built between 1886 and 1887 and consecrated on the 12th April 1888.

The building has a single nave with a Latin cross plan, ribbed vaults and a dome over the presbytery.
The main altar and St. Joseph’s altar are the work of the sculptor Guala, with internal frescoes by the Artari painters. A marble floor was replaced by a wooden one during the XX century and the painter Bartoli painted the choir, the baptismal font hollow and the walls of the presbytery.

An interesting crucifix of Christ from the XIV century is located to the left of the choir.
The Carrying of the Cross is interesting and the canvas representing the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and other saints, dating from the XVIII-XIX centuries. The bell-tower is among those built following a widespread, fifteenth century model, with examples in Etroubles, Gignod, Fénis, Chevrot, Montjovet, Saint-Germain, Moron and Brusson.

Situated 2,656 metres above sea level, at the foot of the Becca del Merlo, Cuney is Europe’s highest shrine.

Before it was built, the site was often visited due to the presence of a blessed source: the inhabitants of Saint-Barthélemy and Nus used to go there to pray during periods of serious drought. According to legend, certain shepherds, having found a statue of the Madonna in the meadows of Cuney, brought it to Lignan to put it back into the church, but the statue miraculously returned to Cunéy, thus manifesting its will: a site of worship was to be built on that site.

In 1656, a decision was made to build a chapel there and it was consecrated on the 26th of July 1659 and dedicated to the Madonna delle Nevi. The current building, which was rebuilt in 1861, is rectangular in shape with a decorated cross vault and semi-circular apse. Above the altar there is a painting, dating back to 1825 by the painter Curta from Valle d’Aosta, it shows the Virgin with Child and the saints Ilario, Bernard, Bartholemew and Eusebius. The walls are covered with votive offerings of various kinds, among which there are also some interesting paintings from the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries. The statue of the Virgin with Child is also noteworthy, it may be dated between the 16th and 17th century, perhaps contemporary with the building of the primitive shrine.

The patron’s feast day is the 5th of August and after mass, a procession accompanies the processional cross to the nearby source, where it is immersed three times.