Valle di Gressoney

The Churches

The heart of each village and its community

By: Gressoney Monterosa

Culture

Village churches in the mountains are often a symbol of local culture and tradition.

Built from natural materials such as stone and wood, these churches blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. They are often decorated with frescoes and artwork, evidence of the craftsmanship of local artists.

Church bells ring out across the valley, calling the faithful to religious celebrations, but these structures are not only places of worship, they are and have also been meeting points for the community, where important events are celebrated and create a strong sense of community belonging and social cohesion.

Chiesa Gressoney LT

Chiesa SJ

Church of the S.S Trinità- Gressoney La Trinité

Founded in 1702, the church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, attributing the title of patron to St. Francis Xavier.

Made of gilded and painted wood, around the middle of the 1800s the 1704 silver-plated and gilded copper ornamental lamp wheel tabernacle, dating from 1695, escaped a fire. The high altar is in Baroque style with some Renaissance reminiscences, built at the same time as the building.
The bell tower, also contemporary with the church, rises about 30 meters. The spire dates from 1819 and has a distinctive onion shape, surmounted by a copper bowl and cross; the structure is made of wood covered with galvanized iron.

City Hall Gressoney-La-Trinité

Church of the San Giovanni Battista

The church is located in the main town called de Platz, built in 1515 and enlarged in 1753. Inside is the church museum where a beautiful 13th-century crucifix, among the oldest in the Aosta Valley, is on display.

The space in front once used as a cemetery, still retains the tall stone cross from 1735. The arcade, from 1626, includes a series of chapels (d'Gheimnisse) whose paintings are dedicated to the Mysteries of the Cross. The bell tower dates from the time of the church's construction, but it was later raised and the stone spire was replaced with the present copper spire. As for the interior, it consists of a nave and two aisles, separated by monolithic granite columns, while the ceiling is vaulted. In 1818 the presbytery vault was raised and a second sacristy was built above the primitive one. Dating probably from those years are the paintings on the ceilings and walls by the painter Giovanni Stornone from Eporedonia, which fully assume the tradition of sacred painting.

City Hall Gressoney-Saint-Jean

A precious Walser dress