Chamois, Aosta Valley
Comune in Aosta Valley, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chamois (French: [ʃamwa] ⓘ; Valdôtain: Tsamoué) is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of northwestern Italy.
Chamois
Tsamoué (Valdôtain) | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Chamois Commune de Chamois | |
 | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location within Italy Location within Aosta Valley | |
| Coordinates: 45°50′N 7°37′E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Aosta Valley |
| Frazioni | Caillaz, Corgnolaz, Crépin, La Ville, Lac de Lod, Liussel, Suisse[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2022)[3] | |
• Total | 108 |
| • Density | 7.7/km2 (20/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Chamoisiens |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 11020 |
| Dialing code | 0166 |
| Patron saint | Saint Pantaleon |
| Saint day | 26 July |
| Website | Official website |
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]
Gallery
The parish church of Chamois
The Lod lake
Cable car station in Buisson
Falinère chairlift
