Page 7 - Guida di Oulx

Casa delle Meridiane ora Casa Roux. Oltre alla meridiana presente
sulla facciata, nel cortile interno se ne trovano altre due di dimensio-
ni minori recanti la scritta Comptons les par nos bienfaits e Ultima multis. L’antica
strada di Francia percorreva l’odierna via Roma, per poi sfilare qui da-
vanti, la casa fu infatti utilizzata come stazione di cambio della posta.
Oulx deve il suo prestigio alla Prevostura di San Lorenzo (XI sec. ) sop-
pressa nel 1749. A testimonianza dell’antica struttura rimangono il
campanile della chiesa di San Pietro, sulle rovine della quale fu co-
struita l’attuale chiesa del Sacro Cuore; la casa del prevosto su cui si
legge la data del 1663 e l’iscrizione Sub Renato Renata, rinata sotto il
Prevosto René de Birague la cui tomba si trova all’interno della chie-
sa; una croce granitica, un arco con lo scudo araldico e la secentesca
torre Richélmy. Oggi il luogo è curato dai Padri Salesiani.

th
The Route Des Ambrois, opened in 2011 for 150 anniversary of the Unification of Italy,
Art intends to introduce the figure of the minister Des Ambrois through the places that have cha-
racterized his life. Along the way are placed 5 sculptures, winners of the International Sympo-
sium of Sculpture, Oulx (2010). The old town has been divided into two centres in the langue d’Oc
respectively called Viérë (Upper Village) and Plan (Lower Village).
You can access Viérë by navigating a flight of stone steps that once connected the Des Ambrois
family residence to the garden and the mill below. The Jardin d’la Tour, enclosed by a wall, was
purchased by the city in 2003 which turned it into a public park.
The Delfinale Tower (second half of 1300’s) is erroneously called ‘Saracen’, although it dates
back at least four centuries to the Saracen invasions (10 th cent. ). It is likely that it was built for
residential use rather than military.
Piazza Mistral, named after the French poet of the Occitan language Nobel Prize for Literature
(1904), was known as Piazza del forno (oven square). Restored in 2001, the communal oven is
still used on festive occasions, such as St. Sebastian (20th Jan). The square is adorned by a large
delfinale fountain which served as a cattle trough, while the covered washhouse fed by its own
spring, was used for domestic requirements.
Casa Bermond, 17 th cent. building with two floors overlooking via Des Ambrois includes a large
courtyard enclosed on four sides, which overlooks the oldest building (1500).
Casa Des Ambrois. Louis François Des Ambrois De Nevache was born here (30 th Oct. 1807). The
state of preservation of the building and historical artifacts kept there is excellent. To note are the
archives of the Signoria of Névache, family portraits, a portrait of the leader La Cazette, a Roman
milestone found near the train station, during the construction of the Fréjus railway line and the
head of the last bear of the Western Alps, killed in 1820 near Gad.
Casa Gally, once casa Bonnet, is a listed building and is one of the oldest buildings in Oulx, (end
of 1400’s). The house has a special cantilevered facade and an entrance gate on the side of the
alley that separates it from the Des Ambrois’ house. Carved in a stone are the probable initials of
the householder and monograms with ‘M’ for Mary and ‘JHS’ for Jesus.
Also Casa Prat which consists of two buildings separated by a large courtyard and to the rear
there is a garden.
Captain La Cazette’s House, now Casa Ambrosiani. The great sixteenth-century building with
stone windows, was the home of Jean Arlaud, known as Captain La Cazette, commander of the
troops at the time of the Catholic religious wars between Catholics and Waldenses (16 th cent. ). La
Cazette was murdered in this house on 15 th July 1590 by a handful of Waldensians. A century
later, the Des Ambrois family moved into the house that, although plundered after the captain’s
murder, remained the most beautiful and spacious home in the town. For this reason, the house
hosted famous people such as the Constable Lesdiguières, King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu.
Casa of Meridians now Casa Roux. In addition to the sundial on the south side, in the inner
courtyard there are another two bearing the words ‘par les Comptons bienfaits nos’ and ‘Ultima
multis’. The old road to France ran along the present-day via Roma and then passed in front of
this house, which was also used as a relay station for the postal service.
Oulx owes its prestige to the Vicarage of San Lorenzo (11 th cent. ) being abolished in 1749. As
testimony to the structure the bell tower of the church of St. Peter remains, on whose ruins was
built the present church of the Sacred Heart, the home of the parish priest dated 1663 and the
inscription ‘Sub Renata Renato’, a granite cross, a bow with a coat of arms and the seventeen-
th-century Richélmy tower. Today the site is managed by the Salesians.