Heritage: Châtillon, Issogne, Montjovet

The mill was built by private individuals probably in the early 1800s to be used by the inhabitants of neighboring villages.
The place, which was believed to be haunted, also inspired an ancient legend.

After years of neglect the mill has been restored. In the corner of the building, leaning against the wall, you can see a millstone of which a stonemason had started working at the time.

Much of the mobile wooden structures that allowed the mill to function over the years have been stolen. Inside the building, in a position similar to the original one, only a large stone mill with its wooden tree remains which was fortunately still recoverable.

Some initiatives of tourist interest allow to visit the building inside.

The castle was not built before the 13th century and had a rectangular floor plan.
It belonged to the lords of Montjovet and only later became property of the Challant family, following the marriage between Ebalo the Great and Alexie of Chenal: in this way the two houses could control the passages along the road between Chenal and the Montjovet castle.
The castle is nowdays in ruins.

The castle played an important part in the history of Val d’Aosta.

Few traces remain of its original structure and its construction date is not known for certain.

At the end of the 13th century, the Savoy became the owners, replacing the Montjovet family. As already happened in Bard, in this case too, the pretext was provided by the abuse of power that Feidino Montjovet acted on villagers and wayfarers. The castle was later sold to the Challant family but returned to the Savoy in 1438, when Amadeus VII installed a garrison there, which remained active until 1661, when it was transferred to the fortress in Bard, leaving Montjovet castle open to decay. Even today its tower characterizes the landscape. A gate prohibits access to the area due to the risk of collapse.

The oldest church of Monjovet and the richest from the point of view of its historical and artistic value, given that it was the parish church for at least five centuries.

It is situated at the exit of the old chief town, on a headland overhanging the Dora, with a road running alongside it that immediately climbs upwards: until the construction of the Mongiovetta (1771), this was only carriageable road that linked the Lower Valley to the valley of Saint Vincent, and therefore, to the rest of the region.
The building of the church, which was originally dedicated to Saint Mary, dates back to the 11th-12th century. The building was however later re-managed on several occasions, it was then demolished and a larger one was rebuilt and re-consecrated on the 2nd of May 1700, when it was dedicated to St. Roch.

The charming bell tower, with its double lancet window openings and hexagonal spire, belongs to the previous church. The interior, with a single nave and ribbed vaults, houses noteworthy works of art. The main altar which dates back to the 17th century, has flanked little fluted columns imitative of a classical style and other Baroque style tortile columns.
In the central alcove, under the dove, there is the fifteenth century statue of the Madonna on the throne with Child, in the side alcoves there are the statues of Saint Gratus (on the left), the bishop of Aosta and patron of the dioceses, and a holy Pope (on the right), in the fastigium, inside the tympanum, a bust of the Eternal Father giving a blessing.
On the left of the main altar there is a large wooden Crucifix, applied to a cross, covered by a thin sheet of metal, attributed to the 14th century.
On the walls that divide the nave from the presbytery, there are two side altars (16th-17th century).
The left hand one is dedicated to St. Nicholas the bishop and houses statues from the sixteenth century: St. Nicholas in the central alcove, St. James the Great and an unknown bishop saint in the side ones, St. Anthony the Great up high in the middle of the tympanum). The right hand one is dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary, there is a canvas with the Virgin and the saints Dominic, Catherine of Siena, Anthony the Great and Carlo Borromeo, surrounded by panels with the fifteen Mysteries.
The separation between the nave and the presbytery is marked, above, by the beam of the triumphal arch, surmounted by a Crucifix (17th century).
Inside the church there are also two other large painted canvases, one showing the martyrdom of St. Sebastian (17th century), the other depicting the Madonna with Child, between saints Joseph and Anthony of Padua and three angels holding the Shroud, a fresco dated 1742 showing the Madonna of Mercedes and an astylar cross in silver plated copper from the 15th century, rich with symbols, flowers and illustrations of angels and saints.

The building, which has a rectangular shaped layout with a single nave, is situated within the district of Plangerp. The main altar, made of engraved and partially gilded wood, dates back to the 18th century. On the canvas we see the Madonna and saints Peter and Eusebius. The two side altars, dating back to the eighteenth century, are dedicated to Saint Leodegarius and Saint Barbara.

The history of the parish of Monjovet is very complex. In the papal bull of Alexander III dated 20 April 1176 it is mentioned among the churches depending on the bishop of Aosta the “ecclesia sancti Eusebii de Plubeio”, which is said to be situated in the plain of Montjovet. The place name Publey also appears among the stages of the journey from Canterbury to Rome, taken by the abbot Sigerico during the year 990, along the so-called “fracigena” road. Two hospitals, founded in the suburb and the village of Plout, guaranteed the assistance of the wayfarers during the Middle Ages. The precise point in which the parish church of S. Eusebio was meant to be located is unknown, it may have been destroyed with numerous other houses by an enormous landslide that destroyed the hill of Montjovet in the 13th century, changing the topography of the area and the main road network. The seat of the parish was perhaps then transferred to the suburb, the church of which, dedicated to the Madonna, still has certain gothic elements today. At the beginning of the 15th century, a chapel of ease was built in honour of St. Eusebius and St. Leodegarius (Léger) near Dora, in the district of Savi, but this too was destroyed, along with the cemetery, by a flood during the month of October 1586. Around 1590 in the hamlet of Plangerb another branch was built, it was dedicated to St. Eusebius, like the other older church. Celebratory masses and funeral masses were celebrated there. The parish of Montjovet, originally administered by the diocesan priests, was transferred in 1433 to the provost of Saint-Gilles of Verrès, which it remained under, amidst lots of controversies, until the mid eighteenth century, at which time it was once again put back into the hands of the bishop of Aosta. For a certain period, when it was dependant on Saint-Gilles, the right to nominate the parish priest was held by the noble Challant family.

The current parish church, under the title of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, built around 1830, was consecrated on the 3rd of May 1837. It is a rectangular shaped building with a single nave, it is very bright with a circular apse. Of the interior furnishings, which date back to the last century, the most significant piece is undoubtedly the organ, which is the work of the Carlo Vegezzi-Bossi company (1897).
Reworked on several occasions over time, it was returned to its original conditions during the restoration of 1990.
The bell tower was built in 1832 a few metres from the church, above a spur of rock. In the bell cell, which is opened by four large single lancet windows, there are five bells, one of which, dated 1522, originates from the church of the town. From the adjacent square you can admire the beautiful complex consisting of the church, the bell tower and the parochial house, a construction originating from the Napoleonic era in which the municipality once had its headquarters.

On the Arlaz “ru”, in a place thought to be enchanted, there was a windmill.
The last miller was a solitary and quiet man. Thanks to his rough manners he gave himself a bad reputation and strange rumors about him started to circulate. For this reason people stopped bringing him grain to grind and nobody dared go near the windmill after sunset.

One day in autumn, some workers returning from Émarèse noticed a man, strangled to death, with his neck tied between two pegs of the fence surrounding the windmill. The space between one peg and the other was very slender and they couldn’t understand how the man’s head could’ve passed through. Rumors immediately started that the miller did it.

From that moment on the bad reputation of the place increased. Still today it is said that the miller’s soul wanders about without peace.

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History

Formerly property of the Bishops of Aosta, then restored in the 15th century by Ibleto of Challant, Issogne Castle’s current appearance developed between 1490 and 1510 under George of Challant, the prior of Sant’ Orso, who restored and transformed it into a luxurious residence for his cousin Margaret de La Chambre and her son Philibert. These works transformed Issogne castle into a luxurious Renaissance residence. After various owners, it was bought by the artist Vittorio Avondo in 1872 who restored it and donated it to the State in 1907. Today the castle belongs to the autonomous Region of Aosta Valley. Not far from the castle are the ruins of its dove house.

The visit

Entering the castle, the courtyard offers its walls, painted with the coats of arms of the Challant family and of the dinasties related to them. In the centre of the courtyard is the famous wrought-iron pomegranate fountain, symbol of the Challant family.
Then comes the hall frescoed with the famous “lunettes”, scenes from everyday life (the guards, the butcher and the baker, the greengrocer market, the tailor’s workshop, the pharmacy and the grocer).

The visit of the apartments of the castle includes:
- on the ground-floor, the dining room, the kitchen and the Baron’s hall, where you can admire a beautiful stone fireplace with the Challant crest alongside a lion and a griffin, painted wooden beams on the ceiling and frescoes on the walls depicting landscapes, hunting scenes and the Judgment of Paris;
- on the first floor, the chapel with finely decorated, pointed arch vaults, frescoes on the walls and a Gothic altar in carved, gilded wood in a Flemish triptych,and the Countess’s room with painted oratory;
- on the second floor, the “King of France’s room”, with a coffered ceiling decorated with lilies and a fireplace with the French Vallois dynasty shield, and the room called the “Knights of St. Maurice” with a beautiful, coffered ceiling with the Order’s cross painted on it.

Avondo’s apartment

Since 2018, an emotional and multimedia space dedicated to Vittorio Avondo, the illustrious owner of the Issogne manor, enhances and enriches the castle’s offer by highlighting its events of the late 19th century.
Born in Turin in 1836, passionate about painting from his youth, after a period lived in Rome to paint the landscapes of the countryside of the region, Avondo dedicated himself to the study of the art of antiquity and in 1865 he followed the reorganization of the Bargello Museum in Florence.
Then he returned to Turin where, from 1891, he became director of the Museo Civico.
The purchase and restoration, with Alfredo D’Andrade, of Issogne Castle, allowed him to expand his skills and collections of medieval art, which led him to collaborate with D’Andrade himself in the construction of the Medieval village in Turin (1884).

How to get here

From Aosta by public transport:

1.Bus 110 – Aosta – Pont-Saint-Martin, running every day, bus stop ‘Verrès – Brambilla’. Timetable available on aosta.arriva.it. Continue on foot for about 10 minutes towards the cemetery.
2.Bus Circolare Carema – Montjovet, running from Monday to Saturday (no holidays), from ‘Verrès – Cimitero’ bus stop to ‘Issogne – Castello’ bus stop. Timetable available on vitagroup.it.
or
1.Trenitalia replacement bus, running every day, from Aosta to Verrès. Timetable available on trenitalia.it. Continue on foot for about 5 minutes towards the cemetery
2.Bus Circolare Carema – Montjovet, running from Monday to Saturday (no holidays), from ‘Verrès – Cimitero’ bus stop to ‘Issogne – Castello’ bus stop. Timetable available on vitagroup.it

Bus tickets can be bought at the authorised ticket offices or directly on the bus without any additional fee. Cash or card payments are accepted on the bus.

This chapel is situated near the bridge that links Issogne to Verrès and it was built by the count Renato of Challant who, as the representative of the House of Savoy in Chambéry, was the custodian of the Holy Shroud prior to its transferral to Turin. During the Easter period of the 16th century, it was the destination of a procession that departed from the chapel inside the castle.

During the Middle Ages the building was leaning up against the facade of the castle, but during a pastoral visit in 1528, the bishop, subject to an agreement with Renato di Challant, ordered that the church be built elsewhere. Two centuries passed before the works were actually started, and the new church saw the light in 1736. The bell tower of the older church became the corner tower of the castle.
The facade of the church is in a neo-classical style, with square columns up against the brick work and a triangular shaped tympanum in the upper section. The interior is decorated by modern frescoes owing to Luciano Bartoli (1972). At the bottom of the church there is a large bell dated 1389, among the oldest known in our region.

Saint-Solutor Chapel on an external wall has a series of hanging arches that allow us to date it back to the 12th century, the facade has frescoes attributed to the same painter of the church of San Martino of Arnad and which date back to 1427. The chapel is next to a very ancient cemetery.

Many years ago a farmer, digging a well in Bosset (located in Issogne), found a statue of the Madonna buried deep inside it. When he took it out of the hole, a spring gushed forth. The water was so abundant that it was enough to satisfy the town’s water needs, that up until that day was lacking. To thank the heavens for this gift the townspeople built a chapel in honor of the Madonna and placed her statue in it.

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.

How to get here

From Aosta by public transport:

Bus 110 – Aosta – Pont-Saint-Martin, running every day, bus stop ‘Châtillon – Chameran Bivio’. Timetable available on aosta.arriva.it. Continue on foot for about 10 minutes towards the castle.

Bus tickets can be bought at the authorised ticket offices or directly on the bus without any additional fee. Cash or card payments are accepted on the bus.

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.

Dedicated to the Saints Fabian and Sebastian, the chapel was founded with an act dated 6 December 1751.

The beam is dated 1893. The rectangular-shaped chapel has its bell-tower to its west side. The interior features a 19th c. gilt wood altarpiece decorated with a statue of the Holy Father and the head of an angel, together with a painting representing the Virgin and the saints Fabian, Sebastian and Grato.

The statue of the Virgin dates back to the 19^th c. 

Dedicated to the saints Anthony and Bartholomew, this rectangular-shaped chapel sits in the centre of the village, its bell-tower to its right.

The roof ridge bears the writing “1750” and the statue of Saint Anthony is placed in a niche on the façade. The interior features a 1734 baroque altar decorated with four spiral columns and a crucifix with the inscription  “per la pace, in tempo di Guerra 1917”. You will also find a painting depicting the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Madonna of the Carmine, a bishop and Saint Anthony.

According to the sources, the chapel dates back to an earlier time: complaints of the locals against the parish priest of Châtillon, who did not celebrate Holy Mass there, were recorded as early as 1693. This chapel became the seat of a rectorate which started on 8 June 1762, but was terminated thirty years later, as no rector, nor funds to maintain it were found.

The rectorate was reinstated in 1909 and lasted until 1925.

The Honey Museum in Châtillon is located in the basement of the former Hotel Londres, overlooking the ravine on the Marmore river. 

The museum opened in 2007, thanks to the Aosta Valley Honey Consortium and the help of local beekepers; it hosts a rich collection of historical tools for beekeeping, such as a 1902 beehive and a 1929 machine for the production of wax frameworks, the first one to be held in the Aosta Valley.

Visitors a led along an interesting tour that tells the evolution of regional  beekeeping, from its origins to the modern day.