Romanesque architecture in Valle d’Aosta
Romanesque architecture and, more generally Romanesque art, are an important development in the Valle d’Aosta, especially in relation to two major churches aostane wanted by the bishop Anselmo The beginning of the ‘ eleventh century, the cathedral and collegiate Sant’Orso. Alongside these large construction companies, we find the villages scattered throughout the territory, especially along the roads that go up from the valley bottom towards the passes of the Piccolo and the Great St. Bernard, a significant number of churches and bell towers that testify to Romanesque architectureminor, but not without historical and artistic interest. There are also numerous, by virtue of the castles, the towers and the houses born from the eleventh century, the evidence of Romanesque architecture for military and civil use.
The historical-cultural context
The development of Romanesque architecture in Valle d’Aosta is linked above all to the figure of Bishop Anselmo I, who held the Episcopal Episcopal Chair between 994 and 1025. On his initiative the two main religious buildings were built that can be admired in Aosta : the cathedral dedicated to Maria Assunta and the collegiate of saints Pietro and Orso : although deeply reworked in the late Gothic period and in later periods, they still retain some architectural structures and decorative elements of great value which testify to the development of theRomanesque art in Aosta.
It should be remembered that in the Middle Ages the Valle d’Aosta represented, through the passes of the Piccolo and the Gran San Bernardo, an essential node of the great communications routes between the Po Valley and Northern Europe. The Via Francigena traveled by Sigerico di Canterbury around 990, a few years before the start of the two big “Anselmiani” shipyards, included a stop in Aosta.
So the region of Valle d’Aosta was in that period also a land of lively cultural and artistic exchange: if the workers who built the two great churches in Aosta were likely to come from the Lombard area, the architectural models with which the client was confronted were – above all for the cathedral – the Nordic ones .
In the twelfth century, in years immediately after 1132, Bishop Eriberto was granted pontifical authorization to found, in the church of Sant’Orso, a community of Augustinians : he then began, under the guidance of the prior chosen, Arnolfo di Avise, to the construction of the various convent rooms; among them the splendid cloister stood out, with the surprising variety of medieval capitals that can still be admired today.
Other Romanesque churches of lesser importance are present in large part in the Valle d’Aosta area. Of particular interest are also the Romanesque churches that somehow survive inside the walls of castles now in ruins. The churches of the castle of Graines, the châtel-Argent and the castle of Cly are just examples of castrensi chapels that stand next to mighty walls and massive donjon, evidence of Romanesque architecture for military and civil use. The presence of castrian churches is typical of the Po Valley, while it is rare in the Alpine arc regions .
The churches of the mountain villages and the numerous castles scattered in the valley bring to mind the markedly feudal structure that was established in Valle d’Aosta from the eleventh century, with the presence of a small number of noble families – starting with the Challant – able to control the economic and cultural life of the valley.
The cathedral of Aosta
The origin of the cathedral of Aosta dates back to the early stages of diffusion of Christianity in the Valle d’Aosta: already towards the end of the fourth century, where today is the cathedral, there existed – as proven by the archaeological excavations performed – a remarkable domus ecclesiae proportions .
The church was completely rebuilt during the eleventh century, at the behest of Anselmo I who was bishop in Aosta between 994 and 1025 (not to be confused with Anselmo, philosopher and saint, born in Aosta in 1033).
The “anselmiana church” had a basilica plan with three naves with a wooden truss roof ; the entrance portal was placed at the center of the southern side; the main apse, semicircular, was flanked by two bell towers.
In the “anselmiana” cathedral, on the western side, there was no real façade, but only a salient “pseudofacciata” that in the lower part had no entrance portal, but leaned on the cryptoporticus of Roman times. The three naves were marked by six pairs of quadrangular pillars and a pair of four-lobed section pillars ; the dimensions of the church were 54 x 32.4 meters, with a height of over 15 meters for the central nave and 9 meters for the lateral ones. The interior of the central nave was decorated with an extraordinary cycle of fresco paintings arranged on various registers. The painters, from the “Lombard area”, involved in the realization of this decorative program, were probably the same that in Aosta frescoed the collegiate church of Sant’Orso.
Viewed from the eastern side, the cathedral showed five apses: a large apse that closed the central nave, the two apses with which the minor naves ended and two other apsesoles carved on the lower floor of the bell towers. The choir was in a somewhat elevated position with respect to the church pavement; below the choir, already at the end of the tenth century, a crypt with three naves was built withcross vaults supported by agile columns with medieval marble capitals. In the second half of the eleventh century the crypt, after a probable collapse, had to be rebuilt: only the first spans retain the primitive columns, while for the other spans robust Roman columns of reuse were used. . Leaning against the north aisle, a cloister was built as a meeting and prayer space for the canons.
Also in the second half of the eleventh century the church was enlarged with the construction of the westwerk (western massif) in the form of a second apse placed in correspondence to the central nave flanked by two further bell towers. In this way a constructive project was completed that saw the central nave closed by two opposing apses, each of them flanked by a pair of bell towers (adopting a Nordic type choice which then found another example in the coeval duomo of Ivrea). While the choir in the eastern apse, dedicated to Maria Assunta, was functional to the college of canons presided by the bishop, the one in the western apse, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was used for parish ceremonies
From the end of the twelfth to the beginning of the thirteenth century, the mosaics of the choir floor date back to the years which, despite their date, can still be considered an expression of Romanesque culture.
The one mentioned in the Year or the Cycle of the Months, placed in the lower part of the choir, is considered more ancient, datable towards the end of the XII century. At the center of the mosaic floor is the figure of Christ, the Lord of time, who holds the sun with one hand and the moon with the other; in a circle all around are depicted, within medallions, the personificationsof the twelve months of the year, with particular reference to the work activities carried out. The ornamental motifs present make the mosaic floor resemble a carpet; in the corners of a rectangular motif there are the allegories of the four rivers of the earthly paradise – Pison, Ghicon, Tigris, Euphrates – of which Genesis speaks (Gen 2: 11-14).
The second mosaic, dating back to the early 13th century, was transported here when the western choir in which it was found was demolished. It depicts a series of real and fantastic animals (a didactic inscription is placed next to the chimera figuresand of the elephant); there are also allegories of two of the four rivers of the earthly paradise (Tigris and Euphrates). Other representations leave even more room for the unfolding of the fantastic imagination; they are placed at the center of the mosaic, within a complex geometry of squares and circles. Compared to the first mosaic, a deliberately more complex choice of themes, however, is reflected in a less valuable bill .
Towards the end of the twelfth century, when already – on the wave of architectural culture emerging in France – the aesthetic choices of the clients oriented towards the Gothic, was built the jubé, a large tribune ruled by arches that delimited the choir (the reserved space to priests) with respect to the space reserved for the faithful, and which also served as a pulpit. This structure was demolished only in 1838.
Of the ancient Romanesque basilica much has been lost in relation to the numerous successive interventions, inspired by different artistic languages and by different ways of liturgical use of the spaces. The two belfries to the east remain, which – although modified to some degree by their appearance from the high gothic cusp and the four angular pinnacles on their top – retain a typically Romanesque appearance; the surprising mosaics of the choir remain, the crypt with interesting medieval capitals. Remain in particular the surviving frescoes – rediscovered in 1979 in the space between the roof and the fifteenth-century vaults- which allow us to understand what the grandiosity of the interior decorative apparatus of the church should be and its iconographic complexity.
The collegiate church of Sant’Orso and its cloister
Archaeological excavations have shown that in the area now occupied by the church there was a large extra-urban necropolis on which, in the fifth century, was built a paleochristian complex including, in addition to our church, also the cruciform of San Lorenzo (which located under the current homonymous church desecrated). The primitive church was a single hall bounded by a semicircular apse; it was entirely rebuilt and enlarged in the ninth century, in the Carolingian period .
In 989 a bell tower was added to the façade of the existing church (whose remains are still visible for a height of about 15 m).
A further constructive intervention was that promoted by the bishopAnselm I who held the bishopric in Aosta between 994 and 1025 (not to be confused with Anselmo, philosopher and saint, born in Aosta in 1033). This intervention is witnessed by a passage from the collegiate Necrologium that mentions the deceased with the expression Anselmus Episcopus Augustiensis qui nostram construxit ecclesiam. On his initiative the whole church was restored in the typical Romanesque architecture, as a basilica building, divided into three naves with trussed roofswooden locks closed to the east by as many semicircular apses. The choir, raised above the plane of the naves, overlooked (as it still does today) a crypt formed by two rooms: the western one contained some important burials, the eastern one – intended for cult ceremonies- was divided into five naves with three semicircular apses arranged radiating .
Down below the floor of the choir, under a glass that protects it, there is a mosaic of black and white tesserae with some inserts of light brown tesserae brought to light during the excavations in 1999. The mosaic carpet that dates back to the twelfth century – probably to the years of the construction of the cloister – has a square shape, on the side equal to 3 meters, with the corners arranged according to the four cardinal points; in the medallion placed at the center of six different frames is depicted the scene of Samson killing the lion .
Of the “anselmiano period” remain, in addition to the walls and pillars, the crypt (no longer separated into two rooms), the mosaic of the choir and the frescoes, important examples of Ottonian art, placed in the upper part of the nave, between the roof and the cross-vaulted roof built at the end of the 15th century.
The imposing 44-meter-high Romanesque bell tower, which stands on the churchyard in an isolated position, was built in the 12th century as part of a defensive system consisting of a city wall and a second large tower . The lower part is the original one, formed by huge squared boulders, perhaps removed from the nearby Roman monuments; the upper part is probably from the 13th century.
The construction of the Romanesque cloister, marked by the suggestive capitals for which the collegiate church of Sant’Orso is famous, is located in the years immediately after 1133 (1132 according to the current calendar), as attested by the inscription of one of the capitals: “YEAR AB INCARNATIO (N) AND DOMINI MC XXX III IN HOC CLAUSTRO REGULAR (I) S LIFE INCEPTA EST “, which indicates the effective beginning of community life. In that year he had received a positive response to the request made to Pope Innocent II by the bishop of Aosta Eriberto (formerly a regular canon of St. Augustine of the Chapter of Abondance in Chiablese in Haute-Savoie), aimed at having, for the Sant’Orso congregation, the possibility of founding a community of Augustinians.
The arches and the current vaults of the cloister are the result of a rearward alteration, which occurred at the time George of Challant (1468 – 1509), except for one of the minor sides that was rebuilt in the eighteenth century.
The high medieval frescoes of the cathedral and the collegiate church of Sant’Orso
The two great basilicas of Aosta, the cathedral and the collegiate church of Sant’Orso, presented in the eleventh century a central nave entirely frescoed. Consistent fragments of such tall medieval paintings have been preserved, in both churches, in the attic above the fifteenth-century vaults. The two surviving cycles – most probably made by the same atelier – constitute one of the largest testimonies of medieval high painting that make Aosta one of the main European centers of art in this historical period .
As for the Cathedral, in the parts recovered in the attic we can recognize the following representations :
West Wall (where the triumphal arch of the Western apse was located): Figures of Angels (arranged according to the usual iconographic scheme of the triumphal arches in medieval times)
North Face: Stories of Saint Eustace, scenes of Placidas-Eustachio that meets the deer ; Conversion of Placidas-Eustachio ; Travel by sea ; Kidnapping of children.
In the upper register, lunettes with the busts of the Ancestors of Christ alternating with lunettes of decorative and allegorical content
South Wall: Stories of Moses, in particular of the Wounds of Egypt, scenes of the Verga transformed into a snake ; the Water of the Nile turned into blood ; the Plague of the frogs ; the Plague of the flies.
In the upper register, lunettes with the busts of the Bishops of Aosta
In the Sant’Orso cycle we can recognize the different frescoed scenes surmounted by a Greek perspective that incorporates figures of animals and objects represented with remarkable realism. Not all fragmentary scenes can be identified; an iconographic analysis allows to identify the following scenes :
North Face: Fragments of a Last Judgment ; The wedding of Cana ;
South wall: Sant’Andrea a Patras ; St. John the Evangelist in Ephesus ; Saint James Major condemned to death in Jerusalem ; Miracle of Jesus walking on the lake of Genezareth ; Miracle of Jesus which calms the waters of the lake ; A martyrdom (Sant’Erasmo?) For flogging ;
West wall: A martyrdom by sticking nails into the sole of a foot
The cultural sphere of the atelier that created the frescoes is the so-called “Lombard” one; the cycles of the basilica of San Vincenzo a Cantù and of the baptistery of the Duomo of Novara can be stylistically linked to it.
Other Romanesque churches in Valle d’Aosta
A considerable number of ancient churches scattered along the paths that from the bottom of the valley reach the passes of the Small and Great St. Bernard, have maintained – especially in the bell towers – more or less important evidence of the Romanesque period. Among the main testimonies are the churches with a basilica plan with three naves: the parish church of Arnad, that of Saint-Vincent and of Sarre, the ancient church of Santa Maria a Villeneuve.
Other interesting churches with surviving Romanesque elements are the parish church of Morgex , the church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine de Villa in Gressan , the church of San Solutore in Fleuran in the municipality of Issogne, and others.
In some cases the architectural changes that occurred over the centuries no longer allow to find Romanesque evidence: this is, for example, the case of the parish church of San Martino a Pontey (a village that marks one of the stages of the Sigerico itinerary) mentioned in a bull. Pope Alexander III in 1176, but entirely modified by subsequent interventions.
The parish church of San Martino ad Arnad
To find out the origins of the church we must probably go back to the ninth century when it was built on the plain of Arnad as a chapel of the monastery erected there by the Benedictines of Fruttuaria . Of this period traces remain in the foundations and in the central apse. During the eleventh century one of the periodic floods destroyed the parish church dedicated to Saint-Germain of Auxerre located further downstream. It was then decided to turn the chapel of the monastery into the new parish church of the village. The ancient building was almost entirely rebuilt and enlarged, and assumed a structurebasilica with three naves that has then preserved over time. The walls of the Romanesque church built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries are almost entirely in stone: in fact, essentially river pebbles and tufa blocks were used . The roofing of the church was probably ensured by a trussed roof on the central nave and by barrel faces on the side aisles . It is likely, by comparison with many other Romanesque basilicas, that a crypt was present beneath the apse area. The church was obviously equipped with a bell towerof which the Romanic masonry remained today, reaching the level of the first single- lancet windows (the rest is affected by successive interventions).
The cemetery church of Santa Maria in Villeneuve
The ancient church of Santa Maria (now dedicated to San Rocco) stands on a rock spur near the cemetery of Villeneuve ; he performed parish church functions until the construction, in 1782, of the new and larger church in the center of the village. It is one of the oldest churches in the Valle d’Aosta, presumably dating back to the second quarter of the eleventh century . It is mentioned for the first time as an ecclesia in a papal bull of 1184, included among the pertinences of the collegiate church of Sant’Orso in Aosta. The title of ecclesia leads us to believe that it already served as a parish church.
The church has undergone interventions that have changed the typical original appearance. The Romanesque church presented the typical salient façade that can still be observed, even with the portico that has altered its appearance. Viewed from the eastern side, it has three apses with no decorative elements. The interior has preserved the structure with three aisles closed by as many apses; the side aisles show an unusual barrel roof, while the central nave has cross vaults dating back to the end of the fifteenth century. The small crypt of the eleventh century has been preserved under the raised presbytery: it has a hemicycle shape and consists of six cross vaults with ribs resting on two squat columns without capitals.
The bell tower dating from the twelfth century that stands on the north aisle presents a remarkable elegance by virtue of the hanging arches that mark the different floors progressively lightened by openings in single-light, mullioned windows and three-light windows.
Romanesque architecture of military use and castral chapels
A number of Romanesque chapels in the Valle d’Aosta also remain, including some chapels dating back to the eleventh century still visible in the ruins of solitary castles. These are the castles of Graines in Val d’Ayas, Cly in the commune of Saint-Denis, the Lords of Quart in Quaart and Châtel-Argent in Villeneuve. These castles suggestively placed on rocky crests, with their mighty donjon, are interesting examples of Romanesque architecture of military use. It was observed in this regard
«Even if the objective was obviously military, one can observe that it would be difficult to make more scenic choices […]. Power has rarely succeeded in giving a more icastic and protean image. However, there would have been to cultivate mythologies on eagle nests and sparrow-hawks for centuries »
Graines Castle
Probably built in the eleventh century, Graines is a typical example of primitive Aosta Valley castle. It consisted essentially of a broad wall, about 80 meters by 50 and irregularly shaped to adapt to the nature of the land, which contained within the other buildings including a large square-shaped tower and a small church castrale, the unique ones left behind.
The square tower, or donjon, shows a massive structure and measures more than 5.5 meters on each side. It was the keep of the castle and besides being the house of the lord it represented the last bastion of defense, as shown by the small windows and the entrance placed almost five meters above the ground, reachable only with the help of a ladder that it could be removed in case of a siege. At a later time a new building was added to the tower to enlarge the house.
The Romanesque chapel, dedicated to San Martino, was probably built by the monks who inhabited the castle in the early days. It consists of a single nave, about eight meters long, which ends with a semicircular apse. Only the masonry and the stone façade remained, while the roof completely collapsed.
Cly Castle
The castle of Cly is part of the type of primitive valdostan castles, consisting of a massive central donjon surrounded by a broad wall, which contained within it, in addition to the keep, also a series of other buildings. In the case of Cly the walls, still preserved almost entirely, was dominated by a crenellation and enclosed an area of about 2800 square meters. The western part consisted of a esplanade where the local population could take refuge in case of an enemy attack. The area to the south east instead housed the buildings, built in different periods between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, including the massive central tower, the chapel, the kitchens, the stables, the guardhouse and the dwelling of the castellan. In the northwest corner you can see the remains of a tower under which there was an underground cistern for collecting water, plastered in cocciopesto to make it waterproof.
The most imposing building of the castle was surely the keep, the massive central tower. It consisted of a donjon with a square plan of about 9,40 x 9 meters on the side and 18 meters high, built over the living rock. The tower was vertically divided into three floors above, and access was placed a few meters above the ground, a defensive solution that can also be seen in the donjon of many other castles of the time, including Graines and Châtelard.
Leaning against the keep are the remains of the small Romanesque chapel dedicated to San Maurizio, probably dating back to the eleventh century. The church consists of a rectangular apsed hall. Few are the decorative elements: they are visible on the apse and on the northern wall pilasters holding a frame composed of twin arches. Inside the arch of access to the apse with double ring is worthy of note . On the surface of the apse there are traces of frescoes that are now illegible (which at the beginning of the twentieth century could still be interpreted with some ease, as shown by some drawings by Alfredo d’Andrade and the writings of Carlo Nigra).
Châtel-Argent
The ruins of the castle visible today date back to the thirteenth century, but the rocky hillock on which they rise was already occupied in Roman times by a fortification placed to guard the valley. The first medieval citation of the castle dates back to 1175 . It was always under the jurisdiction of the House of Savoy, although the barony of Châtel-Argent had numerous lords: the Bard, the Challant, the Roncas, etc.
The area enclosed by what remains of the city walls is 90 x 70 m; it is estimated that it could contain 2,000 men . As for the construction of the thirteenth century, the remains of a building and a cistern are located inside the walls, in the highest position of the site ; the best preserved part, which characterizes the appearance of the site, is represented by a cylindrical donjon, about 16 meters high and with a diameter of 9.50 m. measured outside.
On the eastern front of the fortified area there is a castral chapel dedicated to Santa Colomba in Romanesque style which is believed to have been built between 1050 and 70 .
The church has a rather archaic appearance: the façade has three vertical mirrors crowned with sloping arches; the apse that protrudes beyond the walls, is adorned with pilasters and hanging arches in terracotta.
Towers and strongholds
Three Romanesque buildings for civil and military use are worth mentioning the numerous towers and fortresses that arose mostly in the 12th century and still present in the Valle d’Aosta area, starting with the urban belt of Aosta. These are towers that served as dwellings for noble families placed along the ancient Roman city walls (for large stretches still visible): there settled the Casei family (their Tour Fromage in the immediate vicinity of the Roman theater), the Palatio (they called the tower of the Balivo), the lords “de porta Sancti Ursi” (which later became the Tower of the Lords of Quart) and others.
List of Romanesque churches and towers in Valle d’Aosta
Churches that preserve Romanesque structures
Aosta, cathedral
Aosta, collegiate of Sant’Orso
Saint-Pierre, Priory of Saint-Jacquême
Arnad, parish church of San Martino
Gressan, church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine de Villa
Gressan, church of Saint-Jean de Chevrot
Issogne, Church of San Solutore in Fleuran
Morgex, parish church of Santa Maria
Pollein, parish church of San Giorgio
Saint-Vincent, parish church of San Vincenzo
Sarre, parish church of San Maurizio
Villeneuve, ancient parish church of Santa Maria (or church of San Rocco)
Castral chapels
Brusson, chapel of the castle of Graines
Saint Denis, chapel of the Castle of Cly
Villeneuve, chapel of Châtel-Argent
Romanesque bell towers
Aosta, cathedral
Aosta, collegiate of Sant’Orso
Saint-Pierre, former priory of Saint-Jacquême
Aosta, former priory of Saint-Bénin
Arvier, parish church of San Sulpizio
Bard, parish church of Santa Maria Assunta
Chambave, parish church of San Lorenzo
Courmayeur, parish church of San Pantaleone
Gressan, church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine de Villa
La Salle, parish church of San Cassiano
Morgex, parish church of Santa Maria
Perloz, parish church of San Salvatore
Pollein, parish church of San Giorgio
Roisan, parish church of San Vittore
Saint-Christophe, parish church of Saint-Christophe
Sarre, parish church of San Maurizio
Saint-Vincent, parish church of San Vincenzo
Verrès, collegiate of Saint-Gilles
Villeneuve, ancient parish church of Santa Maria (or church of San Rocco)
Source from Wikipedia