Heritage: Morgex

Ogni anno il santo patrono si festeggia nei comuni e nei villaggi della Valdigne con una manifestazione particolare, la “Badoche”, le cui origini paiono risalire ai riti propiziatori celebrati presso i Celti.

La tradizione vuole che la Badoche sia nata a La Salle, per poi diffondersi anche nelle altre località.
Protagonisti della festa sono i giovani scapoli che organizzano un ballo collettivo sulla piazza del paese. Alcuni giorni prima, i giovani della Badoche si riuniscono e designano il “capo badocher”, il quale insieme con la sua compagna, la “badochère”, dirigerà la festa.
Alla vigilia la coppia, nei vestiti tradizionali, guida di casa in casa il piccolo corteo accompagnato dai suonatori di fisarmonica, per annunciare l’evento e raccogliere offerte che aiutino a sostenere le spese per la festa. L’insegna del “badocher” è la cosiddetta “alabarda”, un bastone a tre punte coronato di fiori e ornato di nastri di seta multicolori, mentre per la questua si presenta un piatto, anch’esso decorato da fiori e nastri, pieno di dolciumi e di sigarette da offrire in cambio dell’obolo.

Nella piazza dove avrà luogo il ballo vengono issati otto pini abbattuti qualche giorno prima dai “badochers”.

Il giorno della festa patronale l’allegra brigata della “Badoche” e i suonatori fanno il loro ingresso nella piazza all’uscita della messa: le danze sono aperte dal “capo badocher” e dalla sua compagna, che successivamente inviteranno gli altri “badochers”, le autorità, le coppie di giovani provenienti dai villaggi vicini, i coscritti e ogni categoria di persone e di lavoratori, secondo una consuetudine tramandata dalla tradizione orale.
Il gran ballo riprende nel pomeriggio, accompagnato da generose mescite di vino, e si conclude a sera tarda.
Il gruppo folkloristico “Les Sallereins” raccoglie nel suo repertorio le danze tradizionali della “Badoche” di La Salle.
La “Badoche” è una tradizione che si festeggia anche a Morgex nel giorno dell’Assunzione (15 agosto), a La Thuile alla Traslazione delle reliquie di San Nicola (9 maggio), a Pré-Saint-Didier a San Lorenzo (10 agosto) e in alcune frazioni di questi paesi della Valdigne.

The Aosta/Pré-Saint-Didier railway, completed in 1929 with 8 stations and 23 stops, is a a singular and unique architectural situation. This railway was founded to transport coal to Aosta mined in La Thuile and moved to Morgex by cableway. From here the railway was extended to Pré-Saint-Didier in the vain hope of reaching Courmayeur.

The Morgex station is the best expression of this architecture. The choice of details, from the lancet windows to fireplaces, dark-red painted wood lining, massive stone walls and complex wood shelves are inserted in a seemingly simple context. The prism base is divided, on the track side, by a platform supported by five slightly tapered cylindrical columns and, on the opposite side, by two light stone foreparts on a wooden background. A similar altimetrical division reflects this layout with spacious porticoes on the ground floor to create adequate covered areas.

The other stations on the Aosta/Pré-Saint-Didier railway are characterised by large cylindric columns, long support beams with robust wooden overhangings and wood lining which successfully fit into the context, reflecting the forms of the historic l’Ola farmhouse in Introd. More than an expression of foreign culture and technology, the new buildings, following the nearby architectural examples even though rural, intended to express the close tie with the local land and culture. Overall, it is an interesting “system” of buildings, erected to meet the same functions with homogeneous architectural styles.

This fortified house standing in an isolated area, east of the village of Villair, is a rectangular floor plan building with two floors above ground.
The entrance is on the second floor on the south side: next to the door of the underground floor is inscribed the date 1751. Two overhanging and almost overlapping latrines are on the east side.
The house belonged to the Bozel (de Bosellis) family, aborigine from Tarentaise, settled in Aosta Valley in the 14th century and dead out in the 17th century.

Located in the centre of the village, this tower, with its walls 9 metres lenght and 2,60 metres thick, reminds in its construction technique of the towers of La Plantà in Gressan and Ville in Arnad.
The dendrometric analyses prove that it was built during the last years of the 10th century, that’s why it results to be one of the oldest towers in Aosta Valley.

It is incorporated into a lower and larger building, which is also square and presents mediaeval masonry and a beautiful portal on the north side, whose architrave is sculpted with a double-row, inverted-keel design. Over the portal stands a small window of worked stone with architrave bearing the Savoy cross.
The origins of the name of the de l’Archet (de Arculo) family derive from having converted the Aosta Arch of Augustus into its residence. These nobles already appear in Aosta Valley charters of the first half of the 12th century. The circumstances of their transfer to Valdigne are unknown, while it’s sure that their castle in Morgex hosted the count of Savoy during the General Audiences,when his direct subjects came there to give him feudal homage.

The tower houses the Pro Loco and the Morgex information office on the ground floor, as well as an exhibition space where temporary exhibitions are set up.

The other rooms of the castle are the headquarters of the Natalino Sapegno Foundation, responsible for studies and research in the humanities. One wing of the Tour de l'Archet houses the Demetrio Mafrica Comics Library-Museum; in two other rooms, the study of the writer and poet Sergio Solmi (whose library is conserved in Morgex) and an early 20th-century schoolroom have been reconstructed, respectively.

During the summer and Christmas periods, the Sapegno Foundation opens the Comics Library-Museum and organizes guided tours of the castle and its library. In the other months it is possible to organize visits for groups and schools by making a reservation at the offices of the Foundation.

Located west of the hamlet of La Ruine, not far from the stream, it is a complex of buildings forming a castle. The oldest building stands on the east side, in the form of a tower-house. It has windows in worked stone, with architraves bearing a particular arch design.
The historian De Tillier wrote that this building was built by Giovanni Pascal de la Ruine, who already featured as a notary from 1450. In fact the central body of the building, with windows similar to those of the tower, has a beautiful lock with a stork’s head design, dating back to 1457.

Considering the title “plébain”, which is traditionally attributed to the parish priest, it is believed that the parish of Morgex is one of the oldest of the upper Aosta Valley. This hypothesis was confirmed by the archaeological digs which brought to light the remains of the ancient early-Christian baptismal church (5th-6th century), while the church of Morgex was mentioned for the first time in the papal bull of Alexander III in 1176.

The medieval church was readjusted on several occasions, until it was given its current appearance with the restoration and extension campaign that got underway in 1687, at the end of which, in 1705, Monsignor d’Arvillars consecrated the building.

The interior decoration is the fruit of the interventions of the Savyoard painter Girollet as far as the vaults of the apsidal area are concerned (18th century), while the other works are due to the painter Lancia, who was active during the first half of the 20th century.
Of particular historical and artistic value is the wooden crucifix dating back to the end of the fourteenth century which dominates the central nave.

All that remains of the ancient decoration of the church is a Last Supper on the left hand side of the central nave, it is dated 1559 and the interesting frescos of the fifteenth century chapel at the bottom of the left hand nave. The main altar is noteworthy, with its rich frieze and gilding, dating back to the beginning of the eighteenth century, although the central painting of the Assumption of Mary was replaced with a painting by Lancia after that a fire destroyed the original one in 1931.

The Biblio-Museum was born thanks to the donation, in 2005, of a precious collection of comic books (over 30,000) and volumes, collected by Demetrio Mafrica, which allows to follow the birth and evolution of comics, especially Italian, and which is considered one of the richest of its kind in Italy.

The Biblio-Museum has been set up by the Natalino Sapegno Onlus Foundation to raise awareness of the rich and varied comic book universe.
A chronological itinerary guides the visitor and the user within the Mafrica Collection: open to enthusiasts and beginners it is suitable for visitors of all ages.

It is situated beneath the left aisle of the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta and has interesting works of sacred art, including a silver relic chest from the 15th century, various astylar crosses and a chalice and paten found in the sepulchre of the Blessed Vuillerme de Léaval, who was parish priest of Morgex.