Heritage: Gressan

This is a massive quadrilateral construction. Standing on a flat ground, with no natural defences, the tower had a massive structure and perimeter walls that were around 2 metres thick.
It is now in ruins.

Located in a position slightly higher then the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, is the Castle of the Lords of La Tour de Villa.
The ancestor of this lineage was Guido, cited in a pact sanctioning his alliance with the Count of Savoy for the storming of the fort of Bard in 1242. The last male descendant of the lineage was Grat Philibert de La Tour who died in 1693. The family crest is a golden lion, with red claws and tongue, rearing up on a black shield, accompanied by the motto “Praecibus et Operibus” (with prayers and work). The castle then was passed by inheritance to the Aymoniers and Carrels and was used for the charity fund of the Saint Laurent parish in Aosta, and for this reason it was named “Tour des pauvres” (the tower of the poors). Falling into ruin, the castle was sold in 1864 to a certain Vincent Carlin, who sold it, in turn, in 1885, to the Bishop of Aosta of the era, Auguste Duc, who restored it and made it his summer residence. In 1921, it was passed to the Gerbore barons of Saint-Nicolas and since 1945, has belonged to a family of Milan.

Originally, La Tour de Villa castle was comprised almost entirely of the central tower.
The restoration works did not re-build the western part and the northern part, leaving instead a beautiful court yard with views over the plain.
Today, the complex is made up of two well-distinct parts: one part is the 12th Century tower and the other inhabited part is a semi-circular structure which dates back to the 15th Century. The tower, which has a square base, stands in the centre of the buildings situated on a rock which emerges from the ground. Long chocks are placed at the base of the walls, especially in the corners. Two doors both situated on the north side open externally: the original door has a height of 7.40m with a solid frame, the other, which is accessed via a double staircase, was opened during the restoration works of the 19th Century.
On the inside, the tower is divided into three floors with a wooden granary accessed by a spiral staircase. The roof of the tower is a lead platform, with battlements and a magnificent viewpoint. The living area, which has double windows of exquisite workmanship, is spread over three floors. The following rooms are of particular interest: the reception room with its monumental hall, the Chapel, in which the paintings were due to the Artari, the hall of arms, where all the crests of the main noble families of the Aosta Valley are displayed, surmounted by the crest of the House of Savoy.

The church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine, better known as “La Magdeleine Chapel” was built in the XII century. From the XIV to the XVI century the parish of La Magdeleine lived through great political and economical prosperity. In those centuries, the presence of the noble family La Tour de Villa, thanks to its power and prestige, was very important and they had the church rebuilt and endowed it with new frescoes. In 1786 the parish of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine became part of the parish of Santo Stefano; since then the church has been confined to the role of chapel.

The church consists of an apse and a XII century pure Romanesque bell-tower supported by a characteristic spur, at least two centuries old, while the nave was extended in 1460. The church façade, on the west side of the building, is entirely covered in frescoes depicting in order: the Mass of St. Gregory when, from the chest of Christ appearing to the saint, some blood spilled to fill a chalice on the altar; St. George fighting the dragon; a majestic portrait of St. Christopher about to start wading through the water while carrying the Infant Christ on his shoulder and, lower right, the figures of St. Martha, St. Mary Magdalene and St Lazarus. The paintings, dated 1463, are attributed to the painter Giacomino d’Ivrea.

The frescoes decorating the apse and the underside of the arch, attributed to Giacomino, were brought to light in 1938 after they had been lying under a layer of lime until 1938. The vault of the apse is completely decorated with a fresco showing the Blessing Christ surrounded by the four Evangelists’ symbols. The apse walls depict the twelve Apostles while on the underside of the arch dividing the choir and the nave are fourteen panels depicting the legend of Saint Mary Magdalene These works of art are due to the generous patronage of Boniface de la Tour.

They belong to the church but are now displayed in the Treasure Museum of Aosta Cathedral: a beautiful gilded crucifix dating to the XII century bearing a crowned Christ on relief, decorated with precious gems and paint; a polychrome statue representing Mary as Mater Felicis Partus dating from the XVII century; a large, XVI century carved and painted wooden crucifix from the VI century.

See the 360° image of the interior here

Founded in 1855 to promote historical studies of Valle d’Aosta, it is a prestigious place of documentation, provided with an archive and precious items, including Celtic gold coins and bronze bracelets, medieval wooden statues, 16th-century paintings, ceramic and glass ornaments, weapons and armour.

The rich collection has been transferred to Aymavilles Castle in order to be exhibited to the public and it will be open from 14 May 2022.

The academy’s seat in Gressan can be visited upon request and for research purposes only.

Close to the Côte de Gargantua regional nature reserve there is an ancient building that hosts Maison Gargantua.
Maison Gargantua is an ethnographic museum, an exhibition hall, an educational space, a sculpture laboratory and the departure point of some routes to discover the surrounding territory.
There are two itineraries starting from the Maison. The first one, inside, gives the chance of discovering the naturalistic aspects of both the reserve and the surroundings and gives information about past life. The second one, outside, allows the visitor to discover the routes of the Côte and of its surroundings thanks to two routes of different lengths.
A visit to the Maison makes us discover the ancient folk wisdom thanks to objects, pictures and decorations that show ancient professions and local customs and traditions, that might have been sometimes forgot, but that still are a significant part of the autochthonous culture.