Heritage: Challand-Saint-Victor, Emarèse, Saint-Vincent, ** Valle d'Aosta **

This is the oldest manor belonging to the Challant noble family, one of the most important in Aosta Valley. It was built around the 10th century, but took its final form in the first decades of the 14th, thanks to the works carried out by Ebalo I of Challant. In addition to the rich agricultural fiefdom annexed to it, the castle controlled the trade traffic along the Val d’Ayas and particularly the route to Gressoney, through Col Dondeuil.

The ruins of Villa caslte lie within the “Lago di Villa” nature reserve in the municipality of Challand-Saint-Victor: going up from Verres, one kilometre after the hamlet of Villa, take the detour on the left marked “strada per il castello” (road to the castle). It is about 30 minutes walk from the car park.

The parish church, dedicated to St. Pantaleon, is not located in the village of Emarèse, but half way between the main town and the district of Erésaz; dedicated to Holy Mary, it was acknowledged in a document dating from 1176, but later annexed with that of St. Germain, located in Montjovet. The two parish churches were united in 1373 and remained as such until 1747, when the bishop Mons. Pierre François de Sales drafted a decree to separate them.
The church of St. Pantaleon already existed before the XVIII century. In fact, the first document it appeared in dates back to 1433. It was fully rebuilt between 1882 and 1883: the bell-tower was raised during this reconstruction. Two particularly precious, wooden altars are located inside: one of the Madonna with two, twisted columns dating from the end of the eighteenth century is in carved wood that is partly gilded; the other of St. Joseph from the beginning of the XVIII century, which is also carved and gilded, was restored after 1786, as they were already in bad condition. A vault above the altar of the Madonna represented two statues depicting angelic figures playing the trumpet, which were unfortunately stolen in 1975.

The church is located at the entrance to Erésaz hamlet.
The original chapel dedicated to Saint Roch was presumably built in the early years of the 18th century, because the first document mentioning it dates back to a pastoral visit of 1713.
Under the direction of surveyor Villettaz, an extension took place between 1978 and ’79, consisting in the demolition of the original presbitery and the complete rebuilding of the bell tower; the renovated church was dedicated to Saint Roch, the Holy Family and Saint Mary of the Snows. The project was realized after the will of Mrs Maria Bonis Trèves, with the contribution of the Aosta Valley Region: the woman wanted to fulfil her uncle’s dream, the Abbé Trèves, who had always desired to erect in Emarèse a sanctuary dedicated to the Holy Family.
At the end of the enlargement works, the Abbé Trèves remains were carried from the cemetery of Excenex to Erésaz, and were buried under the altar of the church.

The study center inaugurated in Émarèse in October 2012 is dedicated to one of the most eminent figures of the twentieth century in the Aosta Valley, Abbot Joseph-Marie Trèves.

Abbot Trèves, who received priestly orders in 1900, is remembered for his anti-fascist commitment, for his strong campaigns in favor of women’s participation in social life and for his fight against alcoholism and illiteracy. In 1926, together with Émile Chanoux, he founded the “Jeune Vallée d’Aoste” group, bringing together young people educated under the banner of the values ​​of democracy, freedom and autonomy.

Trèves’ thought is reconstructed through a few writings signed by him but also thanks to his rich correspondence.

The archaeological site beneath the parish church of Saint-Vincent is testimony to a continuous occupation starting from the first settlements dating back to the Late Bronze Age / Iron Age. In Roman times (2nd- 4th centuries AD), various buildings with a thermal function were discovered.
After the beginning of the 5th century AD, the area was occupied by tombs, typical of early Christianity, that were positioned from east to west.
Their presence seems to have led to the foundation of a first funerary building. Further stages of burial followed in the 7th and 8th centuries, prior to the erection of the Romanesque church.

Visitors can discover the site using a didactic route fitted with information panels and multimedia support.

The imposing ruins that are visible along the state road leading to Montjovet, give some hint of the ancient majesty of the bridge and recall how the Gallie consular road also crossed this part of the valley.

Only the left hand shoulder of the original construction over the Cillian river remains today, the central arch collapsed in 1839.

Noteworthy due to its elegant design and completed in small sized square slabs, the bridge must have been important not only for the natural function it served, but also as a sign of power and constructive solidity.

Situated in the town of Moron, on the Saint-Vincent hillside.

Its current structure, with a large circular apse, dates back to the XV century, when important changes were made to a probable, pre-existing Romanesque building. For some time it conserved certain parish church prerogatives (festive functions and cemetery), even though it was never a parish church.

The apse vault has a beautiful series of ribbed stone. Recent restoration removed the modern structures and decor, in an attempt to restore the church to its original appearance.
In the past, on Easter Monday, the so-called “vineyard procession” took place, which in almost six hours passed through all the villages and chapels on the Saint-Vincent hillside.

Built by the Benedictines in the XI century in Romanesque style, the church was subject to multiple architectures one over the another, but also some significant modern restoration (1968 - 1972).

It is located on the structures of a Roman building, brought to light during recent restoration and which dates back to 300-400 A.D. It could have been a huge Patrician villa or a public building; it has a dual heating system using air blown under the floor, which was used to heat the “calidarium”.
The archaeological site under the church is currently closed.

Inside, there is a huge, clear contrast between the sobriety of the environment and the wealth of decorative paintings in the absidal area. The nave is divided into a succession of alternating columns in square, circular and polygonal shapes.

The church was originally without vaults (they date from 1696) and the current, large windows. The roof was held up by visible beams or the coffered ceiling and light used to pass discretely through the high, narrow, vaulted windows that are double recessed. The groin vaulted arch that overhangs the altar is fake, although rather old. The triumphant arch, probably in the XIII century, restricted the absidal area due to its framework and considerably reduced the area of the underneath crypt, a mystical with three small naves, each with three arches whose small, stone columns support capitals dating from the VIII century.

The oldest frescoes in the church are those in the north absidioles, by Iacopo Jacquerio (or his school), dated 1416. Also in the XV century Giacomino of Ivrea painted the triumphant arch with a cycle of doctors of the church, saints and prophets. Decorations were added over these paintings, which were dull and plastered, by Filippo da Varallo towards the end of the XVI century and are still visible today (partly, thanks to restorations in the Seventies), once covering the entire presbytery basin.

Christ on the Cross in the presbytery is a bronze work of art by Luciano Minguzzi.

With the new museum layout, the visitor is guided through a path to discover the symbolic places of local religiosity, such as the parish church and the numerous village chapels, from which the art objects on display come from, witnesses of faith and local popular devotion.
You can admire wooden sculptures and other works of art ranging from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, such as the splendid goldsmiths.

The Museum aims to collect, classify and make known the minerals of the Aosta Valley and a number of crystals and semi-precious stones from around the world.
It currently has about 750 pieces on display, most of which come from the mountains near Saint-Vincent, in particular from Mount Barbeston, from Emarèse, from Brusson and Champorcher, all sites known to be rich in minerals.
The rarest and most beautiful pieces come from gold, iron and magnetite mines, now abandoned.
The museum also has a collection of about 170 fossils.