Il Castello
The existence of the noble Sarriod family, politically connected but not by kinship ties to the lords of Bard, has been documented since the 12th century. However, the origins of the castle remain obscure; it is located in Saint-Pierre in a flat area not far from the state road.
The oldest structure included the chapel and the central square-plan tower (donjon) surrounded by a defensive wall, a typical configuration of Valdostan castles dating back to the 10th-12th centuries.
In 1420 Jean Sarriod had built, where there already existed the tower known since the 14th century as “turris Sariodorum,” a true castle with representative functions through the addition of a series of bodies to the pre-existing donjon. This intervention includes the construction of the spiral staircase of the tower (viret) and the insertion of cross-shaped windows in cut stone, characteristic of the Valdostan 15th century. In 1478 Jean’s son, Antoine Sarriod de la Tour, transformed the chapel dedicated to the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist, during which the external frescoes with the Crucifixion and Saint Christopher were made, and the small bell tower was raised. In the north wing, on the ground floor, there is a large service room with a wooden roof; on the first floor is the so-called “hall of heads,” named after the decoration of the wooden ceiling.
In the late 15th century, the enclosing wall was equipped with circular and semicircular defensive towers, and the new castle entrance was opened on the eastern side with a pointed arch portal and sculpted archivolt bearing the Sarriod coat of arms.
The discontinuity between the level heights in the various rooms attests to the different interventions that followed in the subsequent centuries. In the 16th century, the wing that today constitutes the eastern façade was built; the tower at the north corner dates back to the 17th century, and some fragments of mural paintings and a stucco fireplace are from the first half of the 18th century.
The castle remained the property of the Sarriod de la Tour family until 1923, then passed to the Bensa family of Genoa. Since 1970 it has belonged to the regional administration.
The exhibition
The Fragmenta picta exhibition presents pictorial testimonies from Quart castle dating back to the 13th-14th centuries.
Information about Castello Sarriod de la Tour
Via Petit Saint-Bernard, 20
11010 Saint-Pierre (Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste)
0165 904689
l.maschio@regione.vda.it
https://www.icastelli.it/castle-1234911812-castello_sarriod_de_la_tour-it.php
From October 1 to March 31: 10:00/12:30 and 13:30/17:00
€3.00
Source: MIBACT
