Chamois, Aosta Valley

Chamois
Comune di Chamois
Commune de Chamois
Location of Chamois
Chamois
Location of Chamois in Italy
Chamois
Chamois (Aosta Valley)
Coordinates: 45°50′N 7°37′E / 45.833°N 7.617°E / 45.833; 7.617
CountryItaly
RegionAosta Valley
FrazioniCaillaz, Corgnolaz, Crépin, La Ville, Lac de Lod, Liussel, Suisse[1]
Area
 • Total
14 km2 (5 sq mi)
Elevation
1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2022)[3]
 • Total
108
 • Density7.7/km2 (20/sq mi)
DemonymChamoisiens
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
11020
Dialing code0166
Patron saintSaint Pantaleon
Saint day26 July
WebsiteOfficial website

Chamois (French: [ʃamwa] ; Valdôtain: Tsamoué) is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of northwestern Italy.

Chamois is the only municipality in Italy not reachable by motorized vehicles.[4]

Visitors can access Chamois by cable car or via a walking path originating at La Magdeleine.

Chamois became a separate parish only in 1681, when it was separated from Antey-Saint-André. The village church, dedicated to Saint Pantaleon, was built in the same year.[5] The present form of the structure dates from a rebuilding in 1838.[6]

Parish church

The Saint Pantaleon parish church (Italian: Chiesa parrocchiale di San Pantaleone; French: Église paroissiale Saint-Pantaléon) is the local Roman Catholic church. The territory of Chamois belonged to the parish of Antey-Saint-André until the 17th century. The founding of a separate parish was initiated by the curate of Antey, Martin Jeanthon, a native of Chamois: at his request, the parish church was consecrated on July 21, 1681, by the Bishop of Aosta, Antoine-Philibert Bailly, replacing a rectory that had existed since 1621. The church was later expanded and transformed, taking on its current form in 1838.[7][8] In 1844, the present-day rectory was built next to the church. It served as the priest's residence but also functioned as a school and a first aid station.[7]

The church has a single-nave structure, with a quadrangular apse and a bell tower equipped with four bells.[7] The interior houses an 18th-century high altar originating from the parish of Torgnon, made of carved wood, painted and partly gilded. It features a painting of the Immaculate Conception set between two twisted half-columns that support two angels, as well as painted wooden statues of Saint Pantaleon, a Holy Pope, and a Holy Bishop.[8]

References

  1. ^ La Suisse d’Emilio
  2. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. ^ bbc.com: Video (9 min, February 2022))
  5. ^ Pietro Giglio, Oriana Pecchio, 2005: Enciclopedia della Valle d'Aosta, p. 183 (Google books- snippet view)
  6. ^ Website of the Municipality of Chamois: Saint Pantaleon parish church
  7. ^ a b c "Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Pantaleone (Sec. XVI)". Comune di Chamois (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Saint Pantaleon parish church". Retrieved 30 May 2025.