Saint-Oyen: Culture, Hiking Trails and Cross-Country Skiing
Accommodation in Saint-Oyen
Sacred History in Saint-Oyen
The parish church of Sant'Eugendo in Saint-Oyen was probably founded between 1137 and 1176. The church building was rebuilt in 1820 and renovated in 1990. The parish church houses a 17th-century silver reliquary, partially gilded and set with crystals, created by a Swiss artist.
Château Verdun in Saint-Oyen was built between the 10th and 11th centuries. In 1137, Amadeus III of Savoy donated the château to the canons of the Great St Bernard Hospice. The canons used Château Verdun as a rest station and as an agricultural estate belonging to the hospice.
File:Jambon alla brace di Saint-Oyen Foire de Sait Ours 01.png
Photo: Pampuco via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Château Verdun and the Library
A herbarium is on display in the library of Saint-Oyen. Canons of the Great St Bernard Hospice compiled it between 1850 and 1900; Fathers Delasoie and Besse were among those involved.
Crafts and Landscape
The Vecchia segheria in Prenoud is an old water-powered sawmill restored in the 1990s. The mill can be operated for educational purposes upon request.
Above the main village of Saint-Oyen is the wildlife enclosure “le gîte des chevreuils”. It covers approximately 8,000 square metres and includes drinking troughs, feeding stations and two wooden shelters for the animals and their feed.
The Prenoud picnic area is located in a mixed forest of spruce, larch and individual black alder trees. Hiking trails to Gran Testa begin near the Prenoud picnic area.
Hiking Trail through the Flassin Valley
Near the Saint-Oyen campsite, a trail begins along farm track No. 7 and leads through the Flassin Valley to the Tsa de Flassin alpine pasture at an altitude of 2,258 metres. For planning the tour, the starting point at farm track No. 7 and the destination altitude of 2,258 metres are specific reference points.
Cross-Country Skiing and Festivals
Flassin has a modern cross-country skiing centre. Cross-country skiers can use an 18-kilometre network of trails between Étroubles and Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses.
The historic Coumba Freida Carnival takes place every year in Saint-Oyen with a procession featuring Landzette masks.
Jambon alla brace di Saint-Oyen is a traditional agricultural food product of the region. Its processing must take place exclusively in Saint-Oyen in accordance with the requirements of the relevant product specification. The Sagra del Jambon alla brace takes place every year on the first weekend of August in Saint-Oyen and is dedicated to cooked ham slowly roasted on a spit, smoked and seasoned with aromatic herbs. The carnival and the sagra have different focuses: Landzette masks appear in the procession, while the August weekend is dedicated to spit-roasted ham.
Getting There and Other Destinations
For your journey, Saint-Oyen can be reached by the “Aosta – Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses” bus line.
Other destinations: Verrand, Allein, Saint-Christophe, Ayas, Pontboset, Ollomont, Gignod, Valgrisenche
To the higher-level travel overview: Aosta Valley.
