Castle of Nus

Introduction

Introduction

The castle stands isolated on a rock in the hilly area north-west of the village of Nus. From its height (683 metres above sea level), it dominates the entire village and once allowed direct control of transit in the Saint-Barthélémy valley.

Description

 Architectural description

The construction is complex and irregular, formed by the aggregation of several buildings that differ in terms of period of construction, appearance, original function and state of preservation. The original settlement dates back to at least the 13th century as it is already mentioned in a document from 1287. In that year, in the month of December, the castle was ceded to representatives sent by the Count of Savoy for general audiences. According to tradition, in fact, during the period when the count travelled to the Aosta Valley to administer justice, all local lords had to surrender their fortifications. This obligation probably stemmed from the need to protect the count by preventing the various lords from posing any danger (without their castle, they could not in fact pose a great threat).
 Unfortunately, there is no information about the composition of the primitive building; the only testimony is a document of division between two brothers, lords of Nus in the 14th century. From this document, it can be deduced that the complex was already separated into several bodies at that time. In one of these was a large painted hall. This shows that the castle already had a social, representative function at that time. The other rooms that were part of the complex at that time were the quadrangular tower, the Chapel of St Michael, the oven and a fountain.
 Further work on the interior of the castle took place in the second half of the 15th century, but the largest intervention, which disrupted the previous complex, was carried out at the end of the 16th century. At that time, the castle was converted into a stately home to accommodate the lords of Nus following the burning down of the castle of Pilatus. The works can be dated to 1595, which is the date engraved on the entrance portal to the courtyard. At that time, the individual existing buildings were joined to form a single body, presumably in the shape of a 'T', and it was at this time that the cylindrical tower was built.
 At present, we can identify the following bodies of the building: first of all, the central body, an elongated building resting on scarp walls and spread over three floors. Inside this building there is still the old reception hall, characterised by friezes, wall decorations and a decorated ceiling, all with mythological, biblical and allegorical subjects and with heraldic coats of arms of the Nus family, executed for the barons of Nus in 1680. This structure is enriched by a double series of windows, including a cross-vaulted one, and, compared to the entire complex, it is the one in the best state of preservation, and is inhabited and used as a farmhouse.
 On this body, which develops along the east-west axis, is the cylindrical tower, which is in a good state of preservation and is decidedly interesting because it is characterised by the presence of the viret. The viret is a particular type of internal helicoidal staircase, widely used in 14th-15th century Valdostan architecture. In this case, it is a true climbing tower, with the particularity that the first steps of the viret are dug directly into the rock, as is the entire central core of the fortified structure. Inside, the tower culminates in a cylindrically shaped central room, covered by a uniform roof; the doorway to the tower is of remarkable elegance, built with an inverted keel.
 The cylindrical tower, as well as containing the viret, serves as a connection to a further quadrangular construction, now ruined, concluded upstream by a crenellated masonry; at the eastern end of the complex there was also another tower, with a quadrangular plan, older than the cylindrical one and now reduced to rubble.
 In the course of new interventions between the 16th and 17th centuries, the new entrance was moved further south. The eastern part of the castle, which had a defensive function, was gradually abandoned in favour of the residential portion to the west, thus beginning the degradation of the quadrangular tower, which collapsed in the early 20th century. Instead, towards the west, terraced gardens were created to make the residential complex even more comfortable. Following the abolition of feudal revenues, the last descendants of the Lords of Nus sold the castle and moved to Piedmont. During the 19th century, there was a succession of different owners, who were unable to prevent the degradation of the castle, which was used as an agricultural depot and soon fell into disrepair.

 Historical background

The castle has always been in the possession of the family of the barons of Nus, who built the oldest nucleus as early as the 13th century. In fact, archive documents cite Guglielmo di Nus in 1287: at this time, therefore, the primitive nucleus of the castle already existed, and mainly the quadrangular tower at the eastern end of the complex, which is now reduced to a ruin; the original part of the castle seemed to be based on the classic castle-enclosure typology, being equipped with a quadrangular tower surrounded by the perimeter walls and other minor bodies that are no longer identifiable.
 With the passage of time, the Lords of Nus, like the other nobles, began to feel the need to lead a less Spartan life: the primitive residences, built mostly for defensive purposes, were gradually abandoned and replaced by less isolated and more comfortable residential dwellings. The same fate befell the castle of Nus, as the owners moved to the fortified house known as 'Castello di Pilato'.
 We still find the castle of Nus mentioned several times in documents (1337, 1430) and it is presumable that the original nucleus did not undergo any major interventions until the end of the 16th century, when it was rebuilt, enlarged and adapted as a new stately home for the family that moved here after the fire that destroyed the residence in the village, the Castello di Pilato.
 This fact is testified by the entrance portal to the castle, with its pointed arch and facing the valley: on the architrave we find the motto 'FORTITUDO MEA DEUS' and the date 1595.
 The family of the barons of Nus has always been linked to the castle, in fact (as testified by the historian De Tillier) even at a time when they could have lived in the palace in Aosta, they lived in the residence in Nus for long periods. During the 19th century, the castle was abandoned by the descendants of the family of Nus, who moved to Piedmont, and was sold to various owners. Due to the lack of constant maintenance, it soon fell into disrepair. Today, the residential part of the castle is inhabited by private individuals and therefore cannot be visited.

 The lair of the forger Farinet

During the 19th century, the castle, thanks to its isolated location and the state of decay into which it had fallen, represented an ideal place for anyone who wanted a secluded refuge. In fact, it seems that a famous forger of the time (well known especially in the Valais) Joseph-Samuel Farinet used it as a hideout to manufacture counterfeit coins. Farinet, a native of Valle d'Aosta, was born in Saint-Rhémy en Bosses and was much loved by the poor people because he gave them his coins. In 1873, however, the hiding place was discovered and after an inspection, tools and material used to mint the coins were confiscated. Farinet, however, managed to escape after a daring chase and mocked the guards. His miraculous escape was passed down from generation to generation, so much so that today the legend of Farinet, the good forger, is still told.

 The Frescoes

In the interior of the building, the reception hall is richly decorated with Baroque frescoes dating back to the 17th century. This room seems to coincide with a painted room mentioned in the 16th century as the 'Salle Rouge', located near the 'viret': the helicoidal stone staircase, common in the architecture of Valdostan castles. Therefore, frescoes may have been added to the room already painted in 1500 (one of them bears the date 1680). The large room was later subdivided to make two small adjoining rooms. One of these is decorated with frescoes depicting St Grato, St Francis receiving the stigmata and Mary (painted on the wooden ceiling). In the other room, cities in perspective are painted and various trompe-l'oeil on the ceiling. The frescoes in the two smaller rooms are probably from the later century than those in the hall. At the end of the 19th century, following the general deterioration of the dwelling, the frescoed rooms were used as a hayloft.

 

Introduction

 The castle stands isolated on the rock in the hilly area north-west of the village of Nus. From its height (683 metres above sea level), it dominates the entire village and at one time allowed direct control of transit through the Saint-Barthélémy valley. 

Architectural description

 The construction is complex and irregular, formed by the aggregation of several buildings differing in period of construction, appearance, original function and state of preservation. The original settlement dates back to at least the 13th century as it is already mentioned in a document from 1287. In that year, in the month of December, the castle was ceded to representatives sent by the Count of Savoy for general audiences. According to tradition, in fact, during the period when the count travelled to the Aosta Valley to administer justice, all local lords had to surrender their fortifications. This obligation probably stemmed from the need to protect the count by preventing the various lords from posing any danger (without their castle they could in fact pose no great threat). Unfortunately, there is no information about the composition of the primitive building; the only testimony is a document of division between two brothers, lords of Nus in the 14th century. The document suggests that the complex was already separated into several bodies at that time. In one of these was a large painted hall. This shows that the castle already had a social, representative function at that time. The other premises forming part of the complex at that time are the quadrangular tower, the Chapel of St Michael, the bakery and a fountain. Further work on the interior of the castle took place in the second half of the 15th century, but the largest intervention, which disrupted the previous complex, was carried out at the end of the 16th century. At that time, the castle was converted into a stately home to accommodate the lords of Nus following the burning down of the castle of Pilate. The works can be dated to 1595, which is the date engraved on the entrance portal to the courtyard. At that time, the individual existing buildings were united to form a single body, presumably T-shaped, and it was at this time that the cylindrical tower was built. Today, we can identify the following buildings: firstly, the central body, an elongated building that rests on scarp walls and has three storeys. Inside this building, there is still the ancient reception hall, characterised by friezes, wall decorations and a decorated ceiling, all with mythological, biblical and allegorical subjects and heraldic coats of arms of the Nus family, executed for the Barons of Nus in 1680. This structure is enriched by a double series of windows, including a cross-vaulted one, and, compared to the entire complex, it is the one in the best state of preservation, inhabited and used as a farmhouse. On this body, which develops along the east-west axis, the cylindrical tower is grafted, which is in a good state of preservation and is decidedly interesting as it is characterised by the presence of the viret. The viret is a particular type of internal helicoidal staircase, widely used in 14th-15th century Valdostan architecture. In this case, it is a true climbing tower, with the particularity that the first steps of the viret are dug directly into the rock, as is the entire central core of the fortified structure. Inside, the tower culminates in a cylindrical central room, covered by a uniform roof; the doorway to the tower is of remarkable elegance, built with an inverted keel. The cylindrical tower, in addition to containing the viret, acts as a connection with a further quadrangular construction, now ruined, concluded upstream by crenellated masonry; at the eastern end of the complex there was also another tower, with a quadrangular plan, older than the cylindrical one and now reduced to rubble. During new interventions between the 16th and 17th centuries, the new entrance was moved further south. The eastern part of the castle, which had a defensive function, was gradually abandoned in favour of the residential portion to the west, thus beginning the degradation of the quadrangular tower, which collapsed in the early 20th century. Instead, towards the west, terraced gardens were created to make the residential complex even more comfortable. Following the abolition of feudal revenues, the last descendants of the Lords of Nus sold the castle and moved to Piedmont. During the 19th century, there was a succession of different owners, who were unable to prevent the castle from deteriorating, being used as an agricultural depot and soon falling into ruin. 

Historical background

 The castle has always been in the possession of the family of the barons of Nus, who built the oldest nucleus as early as the 13th century. In fact, archive documents cite Guglielmo di Nus in 1287: at this time, therefore, the primitive nucleus of the castle already existed, and mainly the quadrangular tower at the eastern end of the complex, which is now reduced to ruins; the original part of the castle seemed to be based on the classic castle-enclosure typology, being equipped with a quadrangular tower surrounded by the perimeter walls and other minor bodies that are no longer identifiable. With the passage of time, the Lords of Nus, like the other nobles, began to feel the need to lead a less spartan life: the primitive residences, built mostly for defensive purposes, were progressively abandoned and replaced by less isolated and more comfortable residential dwellings. The same fate befell the castle of Nus, as the owners moved to the fortified house known as the 'Castle of Pilate'. We find the castle of Nus mentioned several times in documents (1337, 1430) and it is presumable that the original nucleus did not undergo any major alterations until the end of the 16th century, when it was rebuilt, enlarged and adapted as the new stately home of the family that moved here after the fire that destroyed the residence in the village, the Castello di Pilato. This fact is testified by the entrance portal to the castle, which has a pointed arch and faces the valley: the motto 'FORTITUDO MEA DEUS' and the date 1595 are carved on the architrave. The family of the Barons of Nus has always been linked to the castle, in fact (as witnessed by the historian De Tillier) even at a time when they could have lived in the Aostan palace, they lived in the Nus residence for long periods. During the 19th century, the castle was abandoned by the descendants of the family of Nus, who moved to Piedmont, and was sold to various owners. Due to the lack of constant maintenance, it soon fell into disrepair. Currently, the residential part of the castle is inhabited by private individuals and therefore cannot be visited. 

The lair of the forger Farinet

 During the 19th century, the castle, due to its isolated location and the state of decay into which it had fallen, represented an ideal place for anyone who wanted a secluded refuge. In fact, it seems that a famous forger of the time (well known especially in the Valais) Joseph-Samuel Farinet used it as a hideout to manufacture counterfeit coins. Farinet, a native of Valle d'Aosta, was born in Saint-Rhémy en Bosses and was much loved by the poor people because he gave them his coins. In 1873, however, the hiding place was discovered and after an inspection, tools and material used to mint the coins were confiscated. Farinet, however, managed to escape after a daring chase and mocked the guards. His miraculous escape was passed down from generation to generation, so much so that today the legend of Farinet, the good forger, is still told. 

The Frescoes

 Inside the building, the reception hall is richly decorated with Baroque frescoes dating back to the 17th century. This room seems to coincide with a painted room mentioned in the 16th century as the 'Salle Rouge', located near the 'viret': the helicoidal stone staircase, common in the architecture of Valdostan castles. Therefore, frescoes may have been added to the room already painted in 1500 (one of them bears the date 1680). The large room was later subdivided to make two small adjoining rooms. One of these is decorated with frescoes depicting St Grato, St Francis receiving the stigmata and Mary (painted on the wooden ceiling). In the other room, cities in perspective are painted and various trompe-l'oeil on the ceiling. The frescoes in the two smaller rooms are probably from the later century than those in the hall. At the end of the 19th century, following the general deterioration of the dwelling, the frescoed rooms were used as barns.