Heritage: Arnad, Challand-Saint-Victor

The Echallod Bridge is a stone pedestrian bridge, one of the most picturesque in the Aosta Valley region.

Restored several times over the centuries, it connects the hamlets of upper and lower Echallod to the other villages of the municipality of Arnad, located on the left bank of the Dora Baltea river.

The symmetrical humpback structure rests on three arches supported by sturdy buttresses. On the right shoulder there is a small chapel to protect travellers.
You cross this bridge when you walk along the Cammino Balteo hiking itinerary which here overlaps the route of the Via Francigena.

The village includes the Ohta house-fort, an interesting manor compound built around a significantly large Late Medieval tower with walls over two metres thick and an entrance about 8 metres off the ground. In the fourteenth century, the village was most probably enclosed by a curtain wall or by the connecting surrounding houses. In fact, the men of Arnad were granted concessions in 1321 by Amedeo di Vallaise including the lord’s right to order improvements to the village walls. In addition to some houses that belonged to local lords, which still present “noble” traits, there are many homes owned by the aristocracy, notaries and chamberlains which preserve valuable architectural details such as ample parlours, large fireplaces and graceful “viret or tornette”.

Situated in a position dominating the village, on the side of the Machaby valley, the castle is at present in ruins.
It was probably built by the noble De Arnado family in the 13th century.
In the 14th century it was the residence of the Valleise family, who invited Amadeus VI of Savoy to lunch in 1351.

Built by the Vallaise family in the 17th century, the castle has 3 storeys flanked by 2 four-sided towers.
The internal façade opens onto the courtyard, wit a double arcade of light stone columns.

Interesting frescoes of ten fiefdoms owned by the Vallaise family can be admired in the Hall of Honour.
The park holds a hexagonal chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, Saint Anthony and the Virgin Mary, and with a Baroque polychrome marble altar.

In past times the castle was linked by a covered gallery to the “Castello Inferiore della Costa”, now in ruins.

Acquired in 2010 from the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, the castle actually undergoes restoration works in order to be opened to the public.

In the hamlet of Ville stands a complex of buildings, currently in a state of decay and used as a rural dwelling, consisting of a fortified house and a tower, also known as Tor de l’Ohta. The square plan tower is missing its upper section and has walls measuring 2 metres in thickness.
The original door is 8 metres above the ground and is supported by an architrave with a blind arch above it.
You can see several Gothic windows, some decorated with coats of arms and frames.

The tower is mentioned in a document from 1295 as belonging to Pietro of Vallaise.
The structure presents analogies with the primitive towers of Planta in Gressan, Archet in Morgex and Tour d’Héréraz in Perloz.

The Church of San Martino is located in the chief town of Arnad-Le-Vieux. The current building has a trapezoidal layout, with three naves that preserve a roof made of Gothic, low pointed cross vaults. The pillars support large arches that rest on capitals. The facade has a central tuff portal from the 15th century, decorated with a keel-shaped arch, representing two intertwined tree trunks with an overhead rose window. There are slender, single mullioned windows. The bell-tower, with a square shape, has a high, pyramid-shaped spire. The ceiling on the left nave is decorated with Late Gothic frescoes. The subjects represented include “St. George fighting a dragon”, the “Feast of Herod”, a “Crucifixion” and the “Beheading of John the Baptist”.

Built in 1672 in the hamlet of Bonavesse, a village situated in a hilly area.
The chapel is shaped like a rectangular hall with a presbytery, covered by barrel vaults with decorated groins. The facade has a central doorway with two windows alongside it and is surmounted by a small rectangular shaped opening. The stone belfry with a single lancet window is not situated in the middle of the roof, but on the left hand pitch. This building underwent an initial restoration intervention in 1780, as is evident from the pastoral visit of 1786. In 1993, after a period of abandonment during which the conditions worsened extensively, the exterior and the interiors were repainted.
Mass is celebrated on the second day of the rogations.

The chapel is located in the hamlet of Clos de Barme. The date of its foundation is unknown. It was restored for the first time in 1653 and was rebuilt more recently at the summit of this village. The patron saint’s feast day is celebrated on the 16th of August.

Situated on the Echallogne “pass” in the mountains. It was built in 1693. It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1968 and was restored in 1981.
Sant’Anna is celebrated on the 26th of July.

Situated in the hamlet of Ville, in the old town of Arnad. At a first glance the depiction of the saint frescoed on the facade stands out. The entrance is protected by the large projection from the roof, the beam of which has the date 1785 inscribed on it. On the south-western edge there is a small bell tower with a square shaped base, with four single lancet windows in the bell cell and an octagonal spire with four pinnacles. From all the villages people would come down to ask for the protection of the saint for animals and the tradition is still maintained today with a beautiful celebration organised by two priors, chosen year after year, for the 17th of January, the feast day of Saint Anthony the Great.

The shrine is located at a height of 696 metres, in the Machaby valley and not far from the centre of Arnad, in a splendid position among the chestnut forests.
The building, which originates from the fourteenth century, was rebuilt entirely in 1687.
As well as numerous votive offerings, it also contains a seventeenth-century statue of the Virgin Mary, defined by the scholar Bruno Orlandoni as “one of the best masterpieces of Baroque sculpture in Valle d’Aosta”.

How to get there
Simple walk of about one hour through the woods, starting from Arnad’s village centre.

The visit
Celebration of the Holy Mass in the end of the pilgrimage on August 5th, the day of Madonna of the Snow, whom the shrine is dedicated to.

On other days, visits only on reservation, by contacting the parish.

A short distance from Arnad Castle, close to the Machaby sanctuary, there is a cave where an evil witch and a devil with seven heads kept their victims destined to the witches’ sabbath. The last victim, a young girl taken by surprise by the witch while she was cutting the grass around the church, found herself in the cave with other poor souls filled with so much fright that they were unable to think or react. Calmly the young girl told them to implore Our Lady of Machaby, uniting them in prayer. In answer to their prayers, the Madonna delle Nevi came to the prisoners and indicated to them, at the bottom of the cave, a small opening where light was penetrating. The rocks easily gave way and the prisoners, having removed some stones, were miraculously saved.

The parish museum preserves some interesting sacred objects, including a crucifix from the second half of the thirteenth century and two German bas-reliefs representing St. Rocco and St. Sebastian, attributed to the school of the sculptor Michael Parth (second half of the sixteenth century).

In the hamlet of Verval we can find two Medieval bridges, otherwise known as the Roman bridges that are worth visiting. They are both “humpback” bridges. They had a considerable impact on the rural economy because they granted passage to men and animals, linking up the envers with the adret (in other words, the valley with the other side).

The tower, situated in the Bonod hamlet at an altitude of 744 m, can be reached on foot through a short path going from the hamlet of Isollaz.
Tall about twelve metres, cylindrical in form and with no turrets, it has a single, high entrance, reached via a ladder, which was then pulled up inside. It is said to have been used as a watchtower linking the castle of Graines with those of Villa (Challand) and Verrès, by using differently coloured fires according to the news to be transmitted.

This is the oldest manor belonging to the Challant noble family, one of the most important in Aosta Valley. It was built around the 10th century, but took its final form in the first decades of the 14th, thanks to the works carried out by Ebalo I of Challant. In addition to the rich agricultural fiefdom annexed to it, the castle controlled the trade traffic along the Val d’Ayas and particularly the route to Gressoney, through Col Dondeuil.

The ruins of Villa caslte lie within the “Lago di Villa” nature reserve in the municipality of Challand-Saint-Victor: going up from Verres, one kilometre after the hamlet of Villa, take the detour on the left marked “strada per il castello” (road to the castle). It is about 30 minutes walk from the car park.

Oillon chapel
Situated in the hamlet of the same name (1,169 metres a.s.l.), it dates back to 1747 and is dedicated to Saint Gratus. Its naivety makes for a suggestive sight.

*Chapel of Saints Erasmus and James
Located in the hamlet of Isollaz, it was built in 1859 half way over a bridge, as a testimony of the request for divine protection on a dangerous place of passage.

Oratory of Saint-Maxime
Located in the hamlet of Tragnod, the chapel dates back to before the 15th century and is said to be the first church of Challand. According to tradition, the inhabitants of Issime, in the nearby Valley of Gressoney, crossed Col Dondeuil and went downhill as far as the alp of Cialesch to participate from there in the celebration of the Mass in the underlying chapel. The same itinerary is nowadays taken, in the opposite direction, by a track event which takes place during the month of September. On the facade, in the apse and in the triumphal arch, there are some significant frescoes dating back to 1441. Opposite the chapel a large rock presents numerous cupels, which may be of druidic origin.

Located in the hamlet of Isollaz, it was built in 1859 half way over a bridge, as a testimony of the request for divine protection on a dangerous place of passage.

Situated in the hamlet of the same name (1,169 metres a.s.l.), it dates back to 1747 and is dedicated to Saint Gratus. Its naivety makes for a suggestive sight.

Located in the hamlet of Tragnod, the chapel dates back to before the 15th century and is said to be the first church of Challand.

According to tradition, the inhabitants of Issime, in the nearby Valley of Gressoney, crossed Col Dondeuil and went downhill as far as the alp of Cialesch to participate from there in the celebration of the Mass in the underlying chapel. The same itinerary is nowadays taken, in the opposite direction, by a track event which takes place during the month of September.

On the facade, in the apse and in the triumphal arch, there are some significant frescoes dating back to 1441. Opposite the chapel a large rock presents numerous cupels, which may be of druidic origin.

See the 360° image of the interior here

This parish is mentioned for the first time in the papal bull dated 5th April 1145 with which pope Eugene III took the canons of Saint-Gilles di Verrès under his protection.
The parish church of San Vittore is rectangular in shape and has a single nave. The current church dates back to the end of the 15th century or the beginning of the 16th century and was consecrated in 1521. Its construction was financed by the counts of Challant, whose coat of arms may be observed on a keystone above a buttress. The facade was rebuilt in 1670 and has a portico to protect the entrance. The seventeenth century portal in cut and sculpted stone is noteworthy and on the inside, the baroque altars in painted and gilded carved wood, are also interesting. The walnut stalls of the choir may be dated back to the end of the 17th century and bear the coats of arms of many of the noble families from the parish.
With the new direction of the church beginning from the seventeenth century, the bell tower came to find itself behind the apse. Having collapsed in 1755, it was rebuilt in 1762 but it appears to have kept its medieval typology in the lower section.

La Cappella di Targnod è dedicata a Saint-Préjet (Proietto), soldato romano, fu compagno di martirio di san Maurizio e di san Vittore. Nel patois locale infatti “predzi” significa “parlare” e per questo ancora oggi si invoca il Santo a cui è dedicata la piccola cappella, affinché guarisca i bambini dalla balbuzie; in segno di gratitudine viene tradizionalmente offerto un galletto. La cappella è stata ricostruita già nel 1501. Sulla facciata, affresco del 1903 del pittore Stornone: Préject vi figura nelle vesti di ufficiale romano. Una nicchia nel muro meridionale conserva, secondo la tradizione, l’impronta del piede del santo sulla roccia.

Costruita nel XVII secolo e poi completamente rifatta nel XIX mostra, sulla facciata,un affresco del 1872 del pittore Sogno. Vi appaiono la Vergine Addolorata e due angeli. All’interno, tela del Seicento con la Pietà, san Francesco, santa Lucia ed un perso­naggio di casa Masu.

Direttore: Mauro Savin
Il coro nasce nell’estate del 1999. Il coro prende il nome dal canale omonimo medioevale che forniva e fornisce tutt’ora l’acqua per l’irrigazione nelle varie comunità della vallata. Le Chanteurs Du Ru Herbal provengono dalle località toccate da questo canale. A fine 2003 il coro ha creato il primo cd “Rentrons, amis” composto da diversi brani anche inediti che danno vita al titolo delcd.

Challand Art is an art trail with 14 unique works of art, made with natural materials: soil, leaves, wood, stone, iron.

An easy walk in the woods allows you to visit this open-air museum which winds along path no. 11 which connects Lake Villa to Col d’Arlaz (along the stage no. 6 of the Balteo Way Challand-Saint-Victor - Saint-Vincent).

Questa corale è nata nel 2002. Il nome evoca le comunità sorte lungo la val d’Ayas che trae vita proprio dal ghiacciaio del Monte Rosa. Nella corale sono rappresentati quattro comuni: Ayas,Brusson, Challand Saint-Anselme e Challand Saint-Victor.
Direttore: Valter Choucher

Direttore: Valter Chouquer.
Il coro nasce nel 1999 da in’idea del maestro e di alcune mamme.Il coro è composto da bimbi con una età compresa tra i sei e i quattordici anni. Nel 2000 il coro coinvolge anche i bimbi di Ayas, Challand Saint-Victor e di Challand Saint-Anselme raddoppiando così il numero dei cantori. A giugno di ogni anno il coro organizza il baby festival canoro di primavera invitando altri gruppi.Il coro ha partecipato a diverse manifestazioni quali Telethon, l’adunata nazionale degli alpini,la presentazione dei cortrometraggi, Fete internazionale du Patois et des Emigrés. Attualmente il coro è composto da 30 bambini, dirige Valter Choucher e i loro canti sono accompagnati da una fisarmonica o una tastiera suonata da Leonardo Rous.