Chamois (; Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

region of northwestern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Chamois is the only municipality in

not reachable by motorized vehicles. Visitors can access Chamois by cable car or via a walking path originating at

La Magdeleine La Magdeleine (; Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-west Italy. Description La Magdeleine is a small ski resort featuring easy slopes, a nordic ski touring route and a snow park for children. It is also ...

. Chamois became a separate

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

only in 1681, when it was separated from

Antey-Saint-André Antey-Saint-André (; Valdôtain: ) is a ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of northwestern Italy. Frazioni ''Frazioni'' (locally officially called ''hameaux'', in French language, French) are: Avout, Les Ayeux, Banderet, Le Bourg, Buisson, C� ...

. The village church, dedicated to

Saint Pantaleon Saint Pantaleon (), counted in Western Christianity as among the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Late Middle Ages, and in Eastern Christianity as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletianic P ...

, was built in the same year. The present form of the structure dates from a rebuilding in 1838.Website of the Municipality of Chamois: Saint Pantaleon parish church
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Parish church

The Saint Pantaleon parish church (; ) is the local

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church. The territory of Chamois belonged to the parish of

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. 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. The church has a single-nave structure, with a quadrangular apse and a bell tower equipped with four bells. The interior houses an 18th-century high altar originating from the parish of

Torgnon Torgnon (; Valdôtain: ; Issime ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists ...

, 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.

Gallery

File:Chiesa_parrocchiale_Chamois.JPG, The parish church of Chamois File:Lago_di_Lod.JPG, The Lod lake File:Telepherique_chamois_4.jpg, Cable car station in Buisson PuntaFalinereJuly262024 07.jpg, Falinère chairlift

References

External links

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Alpine Pearls
Cities and towns in Aosta Valley {{Aosta-geo-stub