Official website for tourism in the Aosta Valley
The building, situated at the western entrance of the Chambave village, was built in the 17th century by the Baron of Cly, Pietro Filiberto Roncas, using material from Cly castle. The baron moved there, also transferring the jurisdiction of the Cly castle district.
At the beginning of the 12th century, the parish was dependant on the monastery of Fruttuaria, which transferred it in 1182, along with all the other assets held by the abbey in Valle d’Aosta, to the parish of St-Gilles di Verrès. This two-fold conventual dependency lies at the origin of the term “prior” a name by which the parish of Chambave is still called today.
From 1781 the parish of Chambave came under the jurisdiction of the bishop.
The first historical mention of the church of Chambave, perhaps during the era of its construction, dates back to 1100. Nothing remains of the primitive Romanesque building, except for the lower section of the bell tower, which dates back to the mid 12th century.
In 1744, the parishioners of Chambave decided to rebuild their church from its foundations. The works were entrusted to the architect Giovanni Ferro of Alagna and were completed in 1748.
Merit for the definitive appearance of the church is owing to the prior Favre, who extended the nave in 1889, knocking down the portico in front and building two new side chapels. The church then took on the form and dimensions that it still has today.
Among the ancient objects of liturgical use collected in the parochial museum, the following are worth mentioning: the silver-plated copper reliquary in the shape of a case, offered in the 16th century by the commendatory prior J.-L. Vuillet, of the Lords of St-Pierre; four silver leaf crosses (15th - 16th centuries), the photographic reproductions of the illuminated pages of two precious liturgical books, an antiphonary from the 15th century and a gradual from the 16th century, used by the famous prior of the Collegiate of S. Orso, George of Challant. Nowadays these precious codexes are housed, with the other liturgical books from Valle d’Aosta, at the Library of the Bishop’s Seminary of Aosta.
As the crowning glory of the whole, there is a precious oil painting of the Guardian Angel (end of the 17th century). The sacristy on the other hand houses a reliquary bust of Saint Lawrence (19th century), the work of the sculptor Molino.
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.
The castle is closed from 9 to 12 December 2024
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.
In the hamlet of Chénoz in the commune of Fénis, stands the house of the same name: a square-based tower with an internal spiral staircase, dating back to the 14th century and belonging to the noble De Tillier family.
Unlike the other castles built for military and defence purposes Fénis castle is not situated on the top of a promontory, but rather on a small knoll. In contrast with the defence structure, its function was only to be the prestigious seat of the Challant family.
The castle’s many towers, which display surprising architectural harmony, were added by Aimone of Challant towards the middle of the 14th century to the existing turret, which had already been the residence of Viscount Gottfried II in the previous century. The castle belonged to the Fénis branch of the lords of Challant until 1716, when it was sold to Count Baldassarre Castellar of Saluzzo Paesana. There followed a period in which the castle’s prestigious function was dropped and it was turned into a rural dwelling: the ground-floor rooms were turned into stables, while the first floor was used a barn. It was purchased by Alfredo d’Andrade in 1895, who started restoration works that were completed by Mesturino. Today the castle is owned by the Regional Council.
It has a pentagonal layout; the corners have round towers, with the exception of the south-west corner, which has a massive tower and the southern corner with a square-plan tower. The keep is enclosed in a double perimeter wall, with watchtowers linked by a walkway. Access to the castle is gained via a square tower, which had a portcullis protecting the hallway in case of attack. The inner courtyard has a semicircular staircase and wooden balcony, and is decorated with exquisite frescoes featuring Saint George killing the dragon and a group of wisemen and prophets, holding scrolls on which you can see proverbs and moral maxims in ancient French, while the eastern wall features the Annunciation of Saint Christopher. These can be attributed to a painter close to the school of Jaquerio and date back to around 1425-30. On the ground floor it is possible to visit the weaponry, the dining room, the pantry, kitchen. study and tax-collector’s office. Worthy of note on the first floor are the chapel with a reception hall and the counts’ rooms.
The museum is closed from 4 to 29 November 2024
The MAV is a museum devoted to traditional Valle d’Aosta craftsmanship.
The traditional craftsmanship of Valle d’Aosta carries within it a wealth of symbols, knowledge, identity values and extraordinary creative processes of which the objects created are the custodians.
Inaugurated in Fénis in 2009, this year, 2022, the museum has a renewed exhibition itinerary that takes visitors on an ideal journey which starts from memory and then continues with matter, form, gesture and beauty.
The first section presents the exhibition of the entire Brocherel Collection whose objects are told as producers of memory.
The second room, devoted to matter, instead investigates the close relationship between the territory and craftsmanship, between that craftsmanship and the matter it shapes.
The path then continues on with form, that which shapes objects in the encounter between craftsmanship and matter, and gesture, that is the pure manual skills of which the artisans are bearers, a unique intangible heritage of knowledge, without which there would be no object.
The new exhibition ends with a look at the avant-garde, at the ability of creation to go beyond its own time, and at beauty, as an individual, objective or social aesthetic judgment of a set of objects.
Agreement between the castle of Fenis and the MAV:
from 1 August the Museum ticket can be purchased at the price of € 2.00, in combination with the castle ticket, at the castle ticket office, the tourist offices or at the MIDA ticket office and is valid only on the day of issue.
*In order to keep up to date with all the initiatives and activities of the MAV, visit the web site indicated in the “Contacts” section.
*In order to learn more about craftmanship in Valle d’Aosta “read more”: /it/cultura/tradizione/artigianato
The Bull issued by Innocent on the 12th May 1207 mentioned the parish church in Diémoz as a dependent of the Vicarage of Verrès. However, since 1665, Diémoz was entrusted to lay priests and under the direct dependence of the bishop.
The parish church of Diémoz was entirely renovated in 1804, however, a century later, in 1904, became too small to host the entire population and was extended. The bell-tower was also rebuilt.
The first historical document that mentions the parish of Verrayes is a Papal Bull by Pope Lucius III dated 7 May 1187, where the parishes depending on the collegiate of Sant’Orso in Aosta are listed.
The current church of Verrayes was built at the end of the 19th century. On the walls of the bell tower the traces of the old church are still visible. It was a very low building with three naves divided by large brick pillars. The main nave was covered in cross vaults divided up by protruding ribs. This Church was demolished in 1873 and was replaced by the current church, the plans for which are by the architect Lancia. In 1877 the building was completed and was consecrated by Monsignor Duc on 11th November 1887.
The chapel lies on a panoramic promontory to the west of the Marseiller hamlet.
Built during the first half of the XV century and consecrated on 4th May 1441, this chapel is one of the oldest in the municipality of Verrayes. It was commissioned by the Saluard family, coming from the French region of Tarentaise, who served the Seigneurs of Cly.
The frescoes decorating its entire walls were realised by the painter Giacomino d’Ivrea, a well-known artist of the epoch who painted many other churches in the Aosta Valley. In 1845, when some extension works were done, the frescoes were almost completely covered.
Thanks to some subsequent restoration works the majority of the original paintings were finally restored. They represent some of the most meaningful episodes of the Christianity, such as the Last Judgement, the Adoration of the Kings, the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt and Saint Michael Weighing Souls.
Close to the entrance there is a representation of the notary Saluard together with his wife and, in the door opening, a peasant with some tools in his hands.
Visit the chapel by booking with the “Open door churches” app: once you have downloaded the app you must register. When on site at the selected time, just frame a QR code to open the chapel door and to start the “narrator voice”, combined with a lighting system of the artistic details. At the end of the visit, the door closes automatically.
See the 360° image of the interior here
