Saint-Oyen: Cultural Heritage, Trails and Regional Festival Traditions

This also includes annual festivals with strong ties to local tradition.

Church, Château and traditional crafts

The parish church of Sant'Eugendo in Saint-Oyen was probably founded between 1137 and 1176, rebuilt in 1820 and renovated in 1990. The church houses a partially gilded silver reliquary with mounted crystals from the 17th century, 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 it to the canons of the Great St Bernard Hospice; they used it as a resting place and as an agricultural operation belonging to the hospice.

The craft heritage also has its own point of reference. The Vecchia segheria in Prenoud is an old water-powered sawmill that was restored in the 1990s. Upon request, it can be operated for educational purposes. The library in Saint-Oyen also displays a herbarium created between 1850 and 1900 by canons of the Great St Bernard Hospice, with Fathers Delasoie and Besse among those involved.

Forest Trails and Flassin

Above the main village of Saint-Oyen is the wildlife enclosure “le gîte des chevreuils”. It covers approximately 8,000 square metres and includes watering points, 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 picnic area. A trail also begins near the Saint-Oyen campsite and follows farm track no. 7 through the Flassin Valley to the Tsa de Flassin alpine pasture at an altitude of 2,258 metres.

For winter sports, Flassin has a modern cross-country skiing centre. Cross-country skiers can use an 18-kilometre network of tracks between Étroubles and Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses.

Carnival and Jambon alla brace

The historic Coumba Freida Carnival takes place every year in Saint-Oyen, with a parade featuring Landzette masks. The Sagra del Jambon alla brace also takes place every year on the first weekend of August. It is dedicated to cooked ham that is slowly roasted on a spit, smoked and seasoned with aromatic herbs. Jambon alla brace di Saint-Oyen is a traditional agricultural food product of the region; it must be processed exclusively in Saint-Oyen in accordance with the requirements of the relevant product specification.

Getting There and Choosing Accommodation

Saint-Oyen can be reached by the “Aosta – Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses” bus route. When choosing accommodation, you can align the focus of your trip with your specific destinations: the church, Château Verdun, the mill and herbarium, the trails around Prenoud and in the Flassin Valley, cross-country skiing or the annual events.

Other Places

If you would like to extend your trip planning to other places, you can find Pollein, Montjovet, Saint-Christophe, Valgrisenche, Pont-Saint-Martin, Fontainemore, Saint Vincent and Saint Nicolas here.

To the higher-level travel overview: Aosta Valley.