Official website for tourism in the Aosta Valley
Among the oldest chapels in Torgnon, the one dedicated to Saint James dates back to around 1450. It was built in the 15th century by the notary Aymonod. The choir dates back to 1868 and may have coincided with the rebuilding of the façade, which today lacks the niche that once housed the statue of the saint. The interior preserves an elegant 18th century gilded wooden altar.
In a panoramic and dominant position, the Châtelard chapel dedicated to Saint Grato overlooks the entire parish, as if protecting it from above. According to popular tradition, Saint Grato is the
guardian of villages and cultivated fields, invoked in particular against natural disasters and hail. The present building already existed in the second half of the 18th century and was rebuilt in 1718 at the behest of the parish priest Borine, with the contribution of the municipality.
For an easy hike, the Châtelard mountain offers an ideal option. From the hamlet of Châtelard, you can continue along an unmarked but clearly visible path to the panoramic summit. Here, the alpine military squad have placed a statue of the Virgin. This is the arrival point of the route and a particularly evocative place, with lovely views of Torgnon, Valtournenche and the valley floor. Every year, in June, an open-air mass is celebrated here, immersed in the tranquillity of the mountains.
The Chapel of Gillarey offers one of the most spectacular views of the Aosta Valley. Built in 1866 on a rocky spur overlooking the Buisson valley floor, it seems suspended between the sky and the mountain. It was blessed the following year by Canon Luigi Gorret, whose family had owned the pasture since the 16th century.
All around the chapel, stone slabs placed at regular intervals have prompted some suggestive, if risky, hypotheses concerning the reuse of prehistoric menhirs to create a sort of terrestrial sundial. A place where spirituality is intertwined with mystery, ideal for a contemplative pause or an inspired hike.
Along the road that goes from the main town of Torgnon to the village of Petit-Monde, you will find a pretty chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié. Built between 1720 and 1730, the chapel is set in the rock, right along the stretch connecting the villages of Mongnod and Triatel and is an important place of devotion for the inhabitants of the area.
This stretch of road, prone to avalanches and landslides, was completely blocked in winter, completely isolating the villages of Étirol and Triatel.
One of the most curious elements of the building is the sacristy, which projects slightly towards the street. On one of its walls you can detect a small sloping wooden gutter, through which the faithfuls could slide their offerings, often in the form of wheat, directly into the chapel.
The birth of this sacred place is linked to a miraculous event handed down by popular tradition. It is said that, in very ancient times, some shepherds found a statue of the Virgin Mary embedded in the rock of the mountain. They took it with them to the village, but the following day the statue reappeared in the same hollow where it had been discovered. The phenomenon was repeated even after it was moved to the parish church: each time, the statue returned to its place of origin. The villagers, struck by this prodigy, then decided to build a small oratory right there, where the chapel stands today, to guard the miraculous statue.
In a dominant position over Valtournenche and the entire valley floor, the chapel of Saint-Évence stands on a panoramic plateau that can be reached in about half an hour's walk from Col Saint-Pantaléon. Its origin is ancient: it existed as early as the 13th century and was dependent on the collegiate church of Sant'Orso of Aosta. Recently restored, the chapel is still a destination for pilgrims, particularly to invoke a spring full of beneficial rains for the crops.
According to official church annals, Saint Évence was an Eastern priest who came to Rome along with Saint Theodul. Both were martyred in 132 A.D., under Emperor Hadrian, along with Pope St. Alexander. In the entire Aosta Valley you can also find another legend, much more rooted in the territory and its spiritual geography.
Popular tradition recognizes Saint Évence as a soldier of the legendary Theban legion who escaped the slaughter of Agaunus along with his brothers Theodule and Julian. After their escape, the three found refuge in the Aosta Valley, where they chose a life of solitude and prayer, each on a peak now linked to their names: Théodule in the Valtournenche area, Évence above Torgnon and Julien near Fénis. Saint-Évence, from this plateau, would have been able to peer into the dwellings of his hermit brothers, acting as a spiritual link between them.
A mysterious element adds charm to the place: on the eastern edge of the plateau, overlooking a precipice, you can find what is still called the "Saint-Évence hole." Legend has it that the saint, during his struggles against demons or hostile shepherds, according to various legends, forcefully drove his staff into the rock, miraculously creating that opening to anchor himself and resist aggression.
The chapel of Saint-Pantaléon is located just below the hill of the same name, nestled among the pines along the ancient gravel path that climbs from the Torgnon side. It is a secluded and silent place, where the intensity of popular devotion is still felt. The present building dates from 1845-1847, but it stands on a site that already housed an oratory, probably erected as a sign of thanksgiving after the plague of 1630.
The facade, though marked by time and graffiti, retains traces of the paintings made by the artist Avondo. Dedicated to one of the most revered Auxiliary Saints, the chapel has always been a landmark for those seeking protection along the way or a simple stop for reflection surrounded by nature. A perfect destination for a walk admiring the lovely landscape, in the name of faith and history.
The chapel of Triatel, nestled in the stillness of the village bearing the same name, retains an aura of mystery that fascinates anyone approaching it. Its origins are lost in time: there are records of it as early as 1588, when it was dedicated to Saint Theodul, although the exact date of construction remains unknown. Today the chapel is dedicated to Saint Roch, protector against epidemics, testifying to the deep popular faith that has always animated the community.
Ancient tales are passed down around this place, such as the one according to which, for a time, unbaptized children were buried under the floor of the chapel. A detail that speaks of the past, the fragility of life and the search for protection even for those who had not been able to receive the rites of faith. A small, yet highly evocative building.
The oldest historic news dates back to 1413, however the current construction in Neogothic style dates back to 1868. The facade presents the most recent decorations inside tondos and mullioned windows. They depict: the Virgin with Child, with two angels in the pointed arched hollows and Jesus Christ in the middle. The side facade represents Pope John. The wooden doorway is overlooked by spires. The bell-tower to the right is in Romanesque style, however it was built in 1773, with lowered arch access and a bell chamber on two floors and mullioned windows. The left side includes a sundial. Inside, there are three naves marked by columns and furnished in Neogothic style, except the marble altar, which once had wooden panels.
The walls are decorated with paintings by G. Stornone from Ivrea, on tondos and canvas. The stained glass, which comes from Abbot Pron’s factory (Pont d’Ane in France) on the southern wall date back to the time of construction, while the stained glass on the organ is more recent.
The central nave of the church hosts a large, sixteenth-century triumphant crucifix, which is definitely one of the most impressive works on show in the region: hugely dramatic, it appears to come from a German workshop, since the sculpture reflects the result of expression sought by the greatest German painters of the early sixteenth-century, such as Grünewald.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception, with an octagonal layout in Neo-Gothic style, is linked to the parish church. The segmented vault is decorated with pictures from between 1863 and 1868 which depict four stories of the life of the Virgin Mary interspersed with tondos of saints and a small, reniform window: The walls depict the Weeping Mother, the Adoration of the Wise Men and Jesus in the garden of Getseman.
