Page 11 - Guida della Valcenischia

Introduction The City of Novalesa is located in the beautiful valley through which the River Cenischia, at the foot
of Mont Cenis. The history of the village is closely linked to the monastery of Novalesa and the road that
crosses the Alps on the Mont Cenis Pass which generated the town’s wealth by offering services such as
changing and stabling horses, taverns and hotels for travellers including Charlemagne, kings , popes,
philosophers and scholars. The decline began when Napoleon decided to build a new road further up the
valley. Its culture is manifested in the Franco- Provencal language, still spoken by about hundred people
and traditional women’s dresses made of wool and silk with embroidered scarves, bonnets, ribbons and
crosses. There are also historic buildings such as the House of the Frescoes, a 14 C. hotel with a facade
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decorated with coats of arms of medieval European states.
The monastery of Novalesa was founded in 726 by Lord Franco Abone and dedicated to St. Peter
and St. Andrew. It was a centre of prayer, agricultural labour, humanitarian assistance, and culture and
knowledge, promoting the transcription of codexes.
Towards the beginning of 10 C. it was attacked by the Saracens. The monks survived by fleeing to Tu-
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rin and the Lomellina di Brema, where an unknown monk wrote the Chronicon Novaliciense, a parch-
ment that contains the history of the monastery. In 1855 a law was passed that prohibited monastic
institutions. The monks were forced to abandon the abbey and it was confiscated by the Piedmontese
government. The buildings were auctioned and acquired by the Convitto Nazionale Umberto I. In 1972
the abbey was sold to the Province of Turin and entrusted to the Benedictine monks from St. Giorgio
Maggiore in Venice.
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In the church (18 C.), built on the foundations of the original Romanesque one you can see pre-existing
traces of frescoes including the stoning of St. Stephen. Near the monastery there are four chapels: St.
Mary Magdalene, Holy Saviour (which houses the Shrine of the Unknown Soldier, St. Michael and St.
Eldrado (which contains splendid frescoes ). Do not miss the Catarinozzi organ (end of 17 C.) and the
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Archaeological Museum which houses artifacts from the Roman and Medieval periods.
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The parish church of St. Stephen (16 C.), along the Via Maestra Novalesa, contains valuable pain-
tings donated by Napoleon to the prior Gabet of the Hospice of Mont Cenis: The Crucifixion of St. Peter
and The Deposition of Christ (Caravaggio school), the Adoration of the Magi (the school of Rubens), the
Adoration of the Shepherds by François Lemoine and the Deposition from the Cross (attributed to Daniele
da Volterra). The church also houses the important relic chest of Sant’Eldrado (12 C.) in embossed silver.
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The Museum of Mountain Life in Val Cenischia displays traditional tools, furniture, costumes, pot-
tery and other items of daily use. There is also a perfectly preserved mill, and an artistic nativity scene
located in the Chapel of St. Sebastian.
The Museum of Alpine Religious Art houses a collection covering the centuries from the Romans and
Lombards to Charlemagne and Napoleon. On the outer wall there is the fresco of the Cavalcade of Vices
and Virtues with the penelty of Hell. Don’t miss the many murals on the walls of private homes including
those of Sant’Antonio Abate (16 C.) at the top of Via Maestra.
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The environment is of great interest due to the presence of waterfalls including that of Claretto (with
the longest fall in the Western Alps) and the numerous trails that lead up to the old alpine pastures, the
Stellina refuge and the summit of Rocciamelone.
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Annual events are: the Celebration of patron St. Stephen is celebrated on December 26 with a proces-
sion of the brotherhoods in the old costumes, the conscripts with their flags and scarves and women
dressed in traditional dress; on the Sunday closest to March 13 , we celebrate the patron Sant’Eldrado
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whose relics are carried in procession from the church to the abbey; on the day of Corpus Christi, in patois
called ‘Feha do Veurt’ (the green festival), they line the walls of the houses with freshly cut branches of
laburnum in honor of the Blessed Sacrament; August 5 , the feast day of Our Lady of Rocciamelone, a
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torchlight procession winds its way from the chapel (built in remembrance of the raid by German troops
in 1944) towards the town; the last weekend of September there is the festival of Potatoes and Toma
Novalesa (local cheese).
Una delle preziose tele della scuola del Caravaggio: La Crocifissione di Pietro. Chiesa Parrocchiale nel Borgo Storico.
Rifugio Stellina. Arch. Comune. Arch. Comunale.