Heritage: Gaby

Jaccond, Maisonnasse or Soala House
Probably built in the 12th century, taller than five metres, it possibly served as a lazaretto during the 1630 plague. It was perhaps on that occasion that inhabitants abandoned the early village of Lihrla, on the left bank of the Lys river, of which only the ruins of the fortified house remain. The inhabitants descended then to Kiamouseyra (also called Chamboursiere or Chamousiere, “bearfield” or “field of the chamois”), where they founded the current village centre.

Palatz
Name commonly given to the fortified house belonging to the nobles of Troc-Drisquer, which dates back to 1632 and bears the following inscription in German on the roof beam: “Der Haus - Drisquer hat das lessen - Machen - MDCXXXII”. This construction was also mentioned among the houses of the “pouhrta”, local dialectal term meaning portal: a large gate takes you onto an inner courtyard, which in turn was surrounded by two or three houses. The two-leaf larch wood portal has a stone arch above it and is covered with loess roofing.

Fourvill Fortified Manor House
Perhaps the most famous “maison forte” of the village, it belonged to the Albert family and was built in 1676.

In 1786 an episcopal decree by Monsignor De Solar allowed the hamlet of Gaby to have its own parish, indipendent from the one of Issime: the parish church of Saint Michael archangel was built on the site of the ancient chapel of Saint-Michel of Chamboursiere (now Kiamourseyra). Already, the Saint-Michel chapel held an important role, so that in 1728 the notary Troc highlighted the need to extend it, since some of the followers were forced to attend functions outside.
The dates that summarize the history of the church are still readable on the portal of entry: “Dom 1786 erecta in parochia , 1824 constructa, 1829 consecrata”.
Inside the church it is possible to admire two valuable baroque altars, one of which, dedicated to St. Anthony, dating back to 1748 and coming from the primitive chapel.
Item of considerable interest is the wooden baroque canopy overcoming the main altar, only example in the Aosta Valley, realized by the sculptor Carlo del Ponte.

The Sanctuary is situated 980 metres above sea level, approximately 2 km outside the Gaby village.
Dedicated to Our Lady of Thanks, it became a place of pilgrimage, mostly famous from 1833, namely when it became a Sanctuary. In fact, it was initially only a chapel adorned with two altars and with a belltower. Following an avalanche, which he escaped unharmed, Jean Pantaléon Tousco made a vow to the Virgin Mary to build a Sanctuary where the accident took place; it was adorned by a wall including fourteen “Stations of the Via Crucis” painted by Francesco Curtaz, a small imitation of the Calvario by Varallo Sesia.
The main altar, in baroque style, made of carved and golden wood, as well as the organ, which dates back to the 18th Century (one of the oldest in Aosta Valley) are worth mentioning.

The visit
The sanctuary is open to visitors only on special occasions.
Celebration of the Holy Mass Sundays at 6 p.m. during the months of July and August.
August 15 Holy Mass at 3.00 p.m.

La fondazione della banda musicale di Gaby risale al 1922. La filarmonica, denominata “Regina Margherita”, nasce per merito della maestra Teresa Yon, che avvia alla musica ben trentotto allievi.
Nel corso degli anni, grazie alla sensibilità della popolazione e alla maestra Yon, che spesso si accolla una parte delle spese, la banda riesce sempre a reperire i fondi necessari alla sua sopravvivenza. Alla direzione si alternano, dopo il primo Maestro iniziatore Giuseppe Giordano, Raimondo Cipriano (anni ’50), Antonio Forlin (anni ’60) e Giovanni Ninetto Vairetto (anni ’70), che rinforza il Corpo Bandistico introducendo nuovi elementi, fra cui parecchie ragazze.
Nel 1998 infine, la direzione viene affidata al Maestro Renato Yon, diplomato al Conservatorio di Cuneo e perfezionatosi con musicisti di fama internazionale.

Having fallen into disuse at the beginning of the twentieth century, the female Gaby costume was brought back into vogue for folkloristic purposes after the last world war.

The dress is made of black cloth and is made up of a tight waist, ankle-length skirt and a long-sleeved bodice sewn together.
Over the dress, the apron brightens the dark shade of the dress with its brocaded or iridescent silk; it is sewn in narrow folds, held together by a velvet ribbon that acts as a belt.
To enrich the costume, also the shawl, square in shape with long fringes, in assorted silk and coordinated with the apron.
The most original element of the costume is undoubtedly the headdress made up of a halo of lace and a white tulle background framed by a composition of flowers and fruits, as well as an iridescent silk ribbon that falls on the back.
It is customary to decorate the costume with some jewels: a cross and a small gold heart suspended from a black velvet ribbon, beaded necklaces and gold pins used to fasten the bib of the apron to the bodice.

The Valle del Lys, like other mountain valleys that surround the Monte Rosa, was populated, up until the Middel Ages, by a population of Germanic origins coming from the Upper Vallese:the Walser.This population, beginning from the middle of the XIII century, crossed the mountain passes such as the colle Teodulo (3317 meters) and the Monte Moro (2984 meters) to create little stable settlements on the head of the valleys that from south to east surround the Monte Rosa massif.Very much tied to their traditions and to the “titsch” language, the families, specialized in fabric trade, emigrated to Europe for centuries, specially in Breisgau (Freiburg area) and in northern Switzerland, always keeping strong ties with their birthplace:Gressoney.

An architectural trace of their widespread travels can be seen by the “stadel”, rural buildings that lean on mushroom shaped columns with the stalk made of wood and the cap made of a big stone disc (known as “musblatte” in the Walser dialect), that was used to isolate the hayloft from humidity and rodents.These are huge buildings made of squared larch trunks which are piled one on top of the other and joined together at the corners by criss-crossed joints (mis-bois), built on a concrete foundation that holds the barn, once used as a home during the winter, the cellars and a hallway with a staircase that leads to the comfortable rooms.The stadel are located on the banks of the Lys river, away from avalanches and make up small family villages; these houses line, here and there, villages with other homes and villas and were built by merchants that made their fortunes in the XVIII and XIX centuries.

There are numerous villages were you can still see these age-old buildings:

Gressoney-La-Trinité:
- from the chief town of Gressoney-La-Trinité, a sweet sloping path leads, in about an hour, to the villages of Alpenzu.Located on a glacial terrace, on the great Walser path that leads to Val d’Ayas, beyond Colle Pinter, the 2 villages are examples of well preserved architectural tradition.The path has a wonderful view:it dominates the entire Valle del Lys and perches on the magical backdrop of the Monte Rosa glacier.

Gressoney-Saint-Jean:
- in Noversch, different stadel, built by the Zumstein family, are structural models
- the stadel located at Eckò are also particularly valuable, built in the XVII century by the Lischtgi
- Greschmattò:you can find the oldest house built in the flat area of Gressoney-Saint Jean, that dates back to 1547, once used as a courthouse and prison.Also worth seeing is the “Groalémgsch hus”, the tax collector’s house (1626) and “Schribehus” the clerk’s house (1806).
- Tschalvrinò:vast area filled with woods, cottages, stadel and hunting homes of the Beck Peccoz barons. You can reach it by taking the new road from Obre Biel.To the south (at 1772 meters) you can find one of the olderst Walser villages.Continuing by foot you will find other two stadel that date back to 1547 and 1578, leaning on characteristic mushrooms.
- Loomattò: typical hamlet at the foot of the Loo valley with a group of houses dating back to 1689, 1699, 1773.
- Trebelsch Hus:in the Tschòssil area there are a group of three homes, one of which has the date 1686 on the main beam. You can still find a rare oven used for baking bread, leaning on a block that acts as a support.
- Obre Chaschtal:age-old group of 7 buildings, all very characteristic, built from 1580 to 1710
- Perletoa:once a self-sufficient hamlet with age-old homes dating back to 1663, 1692, 1697, 1702, 1707, 1714, 1729
- Drésal:group of stone and wood homes of which the oldest dates back to 1587 with a small adjacent stone building containing the well and hamlet oven.

In the Gaby territory there are 37 “granir”, better known as “stadel”. Even in the territory of Issime, in the San Grato valley, you can admire numerous stadel.