From hamlet to hamlet,
exploring the places of worship
Art – the language of beauty and spirituality, helps us understand the deepest roots of La Thuile's history, guiding us from hamlet to hamlet, exploring the places of worship. A dive into the past and a journey of faith that, starting from the year 1000, tells the story of the people who inhabited this borderland. Picturesque routes to be explored on foot, by car, or by shuttle bus (in winter), starting from the church of St. Nicholas in the main town and leading to the chapels scattered throughout La Thuile's various hamlets. One takes you towards Colle San Carlo, all the way to the hamlet of Buic, and the second leads to Pont-Serrand on the road to Little St. Bernard. Routes that unravel on what was once the only communication route with France: the Roman Road of Gaul. The ancient chapels, erected between the 17th and 19th centuries, adorn and enrich the streets of La Thuile, harmoniously blending with the surrounding landscape, and lead to the parish church of St. Nicholas, which houses a collection of precious sacred objects.
Towards Colle San Carlo
La Thuile (1465 m.) - Moulin (1495 m.) - Thovex (1520 m.) - Clou 1528 m.) - Buic (1530 m.)
Dedicated to St. Nicholas, the parish church of La Thuile is in the main town. An ancient place of worship, this church stands as a silent testament to the community's history, with its existence documented by a parchment from 1093. This historic document, related to the provostry of Saint Gilles of Verrès, confirms the transfer of the church and the Small St. Bernard Hospice to the convent of Saint Gilles of Verrès, as granted by Bishop Boson II of Aosta. The parish of St. Nicholas, which came under the direct authority of the Bishop of Aosta in 1466, endured significant looting in the ensuing centuries, culminating in a devastating fire set by French troops in 1794. The present structure was rebuilt in 1796. The rest of its history is richly detailed in the books and archives of La Thuile, offering a fascinating and comprehensive account of the area's eventful past. The parish church, which includes the rectory, features a single nave, two side apses and a presbytery. Inside the apses are fragments of an altar with twisted columns, while in the presbytery, behind the stone altar, one can admire an 18th-century tabernacle originally from the altar of the Convent of St. Catherine of Aosta. Noteworthy is the wooden crucifix located at the top of the triumphal arch (dating back to the 15th or 16th century). This crucifix is highly venerated by the community of La Thuile because it was at the centre of a miraculous event in 1794. When French soldiers destroyed everything, and even the church was looted and damaged, the crucifix, placed under the vault, remained in place. Despite many attempts by soldiers to reach and destroy it by walking along the inner ledge of the church, they tragically fell and perished, leading the others to abandon their efforts. In the vault, it is still possible to read the inscription: Haec Christi imago caeteris cunctis bello vastatis 1794 mirabiliter remansit. Deo gratias (“Of all the things destroyed in the war of 1794, this image of Christ was miraculously saved. Thanks be to God”). The paintings by Ettore Mazzini depicting episodes from the lives of Christ and St. Nicholas, adorn the entire inner perimeter and date back to 1945. Leaving the parish church, if you walk along via Paolo Debernard, after a few metres you reach Maison Debernard – the library that often hosts exhibitions and shows – and which houses the historical archive containing numerous documents and testimonies from the past. In the archive, you can find writings and maps tracing the evolution of La Thuile’s name over the centuries: after the year 1000, the ancient Roman Ariolica became “Thuilia”, “La Thueill”, “La Tuile”, a toponym that has sparked various interpretations. One theory suggests it derives from the French word “tuile” (tile), referring to the slate quarries in the area that produced the distinctive roofing slates. Or perhaps it originates from the cognomen Tullius, possibly referring to Tullius Cicero, Caesar's lieutenant in the war against the Gauls from 54-52 BC, which saw Roman armies engaged on the Alpis Graia (now known as Little St. Bernard Pass)? The mystery remains unsolved to this day, continuing to fascinate and intrigue. Continuing along via Debernard, you reach the Chapel of St. Roch – the protector of those afflicted by infectious diseases – built in 1630 following a devastating plague brought by the invasion of 6,000 German soldiers, which claimed many lives. At the town hall, turn left onto La Lunire, the steep road leading to the hamlet of Moulin. Although the water mills that once ground grain and gave Moulin its name are no longer present, the Chapel of St. Anne remains, standing prominently among the buildings.
Built in 1667, destroyed by the French, and rebuilt in 1742, the chapel houses the altar step of a gilded and painted wooden altar from the 18th century, featuring a statue of St. Anne. The statues of St. Joseph and St. Joachim, which accompanied the figure of Mary's mother, are now in the parish church of the main town.
From the Moulin car park, turn right to reach Thovex, once one of the municipality's main hamlets, equipped as it was with essential structures that ensured self-sufficiency for both residents and passing travellers: a dairy, a mill, a bakery and an inn. Its history is rooted in mining: the name comes from the presence of tuff, used as building stone, while “Grand Trou” refers to the old quarry. Here, the 1767 chapel dedicated to St James and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is now in ruins, with several of its wooden statues (St. Lucia, St. Barbara and St. Louis of France) now in the parish church. Opposite Thovex, almost like an extension of it, is the hamlet of Clou. The name Clou, derived from the Latin "clusum", means an enclosed place. The small chapel of St. Lawrence, built in 1650, houses several works by the painter Vauterin, including four canvases from 1825 depicting St. Gotthard, St. Alexius, “Notre Dame du Tout Pouvoir”, and the martyrdom of St. Erasmus. The Madonna and Child is featured in two 17th-century paintings: in the first, the Virgin is flanked by St. Joseph and St. Anne, while in the second, she is with St. Barbara and St. Anthony. The final stop on the walk is Buic (from "boscus" insofar as at the base of the forest). Here, the houses are arranged in rows along the road, each with covered entrance halls providing access to the homes. In the village centre, you'll find a fountain with a washhouse, and to the southwest stands the Chapel of St. Lucia. Built in the 19th century on the site of a previous oratory, this chapel was originally dedicated to Saint Défendent. This explains why the saint appears in the 19th-century sculpture group, created by a local artist, alongside the Pietà, St. Barbara and St. Lucia. Inside, you'll also find an unusual but perfectly reasonable feature for a place of worship: the old pump used by Buic's residents to control and extinguish fires.
Towards Little St. Bernard
Entrèves (1460 m.) - Petite Golette (1485 m.) - Pont-Serrand (1602 m.)
From the Tourist Information Office, head towards Entrèves, crossing the bridge over the Rutor. This location, nestled between the Rutor and Dora di Verney streams, earned the hamlet its name: Entrèves, meaning “between the waters”. St. Barbara is the patron saint of the neo-Gothic chapel in this hamlet. Venerated by locals, they credit her with protecting the village from the catastrophic fire of 1794, which ravaged other nearby villages instead. The current chapel dates back to about a hundred years later (1876). It features a wooden altar with a statue of St. Barbara alongside St. Joseph, as depicted in one of the five canvases surrounding the altar. Noteworthy is Vauterin's painting of the martyrdom of St Erasmus. The 18th-century sculptural Pietà from the Entrèves chapel is now displayed in the parish sacristy. This beautiful chapel underwent a major restoration in 2011 by the La Thuile Alpine group.
Also worth visiting are the 19th-century building adjacent to the chapel and the rural complex across the way, featuring a manor house and a farmstead. These buildings are characterised by their hipped roofs. Continuing from Entrèves towards Petite Golette, you'll reach the Chapel of the Visitation, a scene portrayed in an 18th-century canvas and inserted into the wooden altar from the same period. The parish church houses several notable statues: the Crowned Virgin, St. Nicholas, two angels with instruments of the Passion, and a painted and gilded sculptural group of the Pietà (16th century), attributed to a sculptor from Aosta.
Continuing along the main road toward the Little St. Bernard Pass, you’ll reach the village of Pont-Serrand after three kilometres. The current bridge, built in 1872, stands where a Roman-era viaduct – indispensable for centuries – once spanned the deep, rocky gorge through which the Dora de Verney flows. In the corner space between the old and new border roads stands the Chapel of St. Bernard of Menthon, the patron saint of mountaineers and travellers. On the chapel's façade, you can admire a painting of St. Bernard holding a chained dragon at bay. Originally built in 1471, the chapel was reconstructed in the mid-17th century. Inside, you’ll find a wooden sculpture of the saint on the altar. Notably, the chapel features a unique grating that separates the officiant's area from that of the congregation, the only example of its type in the La Thuile region. The entire village is deserving of thorough exploration. Despite the renovations, visitors still appreciate the historical building styles, both in the residential houses lining the road and in the external rural structures, including the remains of the Pont-Serrand mill, once powered by a water wheel.
