Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses ( Valdôtain: ) is a village and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

, region in the north-western

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Geography

Saint-Rhémy is the last Italian village before the Swiss border, about 20 kilometers northwest of

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

. The town is crossed by the river Artanavaz, tributary of the

Buthier The Buthier is a mountain torrent in north-west Italy. A left bank tributary of the Dora Baltea, its entire course lies within the Valpelline, a valley in the region of Aosta Valley. Course One branch of the river is formed by the Tsa de Tsa ...

. * Seismic classification: zone 4 (very low seismicity).

History

Its Latin name was ''Endracinum'': in

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

an important mansio stood on the valley to control the road, since the village was located in a strategic point for trade through the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. It suffered the invasions of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

, the Burgundians, the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

, the Carolingians and the Saracens, from the VI to the X century. According to tradition, during the Burgundy domination King Gontrano, passing through the valley, was baptized by

Saint Remigius Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...

, Archbishop of Reims, in 496 AD, thus giving his name to the town. Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses is mentioned in the travelogue of Sigeric of Canterbury who, around 990, went to Rome to receive the

Pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

from the hands of

Pope John XV Pope John XV ( la, Ioannes XV; died on 1 April 996) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from August 985 until his death. A Roman by birth, he was the first pope who canonized a saint. The origins of the investiture controversy ...

; this route would have been called

Via Francigena The Via Francigena () is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. It w ...

, in the following centuries. In particular, the locality represented the XLVIII stage (submansio), and was defined by the Archbishop of Canterbury ''Sce Remei''. The Archbishop stayed there before crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass. In the Fascist ''ventennio'', the place name was translated into Italian and renamed ''San Remigio'', from 1939 to 1946. The name was later restored to Saint-Rhémy until 1991, when it took its present form.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of the municipality is described as follows: «''Silver to the head bowed of five pieces of red. External ornaments from the Comune''»

Product

The spicy, PDO recognised pork product Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses is produced here

Notes and references

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