Church of St Maurice in Moron
Edited by:
Samantha Blanchod
Access
Raggiunta l'uscita dell'autostrada A5 di Châtillon si svolta a destra seguendo le indicazioni per Saint-Vincent. Poco prima del Casino de la Vallée si incontrano le indicazioni per il Col de Joux: le si seguono svoltando a sinistra ed iniziando a risalire l'estesa collina di Saint-Vincent. Dopo alcuni chilometri si raggiunge il villaggio di Moron: si svolta a destra e ci si avvicina alla chiesa sino a raggiungere il parcheggio antistante.
Introduction
Description
Information sheet
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How to get there
At the A5 motorway exit of Châtillon you turn right and follow the signs for Saint-Vincent. Just before the Casino de la Vallée you meet the signs for the Col de Joux: you follow them, turning left and starting to climb the extensive hill of Saint-Vincent. After a few kilometres, you will reach the village of Moron: turn right and approach the church until you reach the car park in front of it.
Description
The church of San Maurizio (better known as the church of Moron) is, according to tradition, the oldest church in the Aosta Valley (Monsignor Duc dates its construction to 1112), but there are no documents to confirm this.
Situated on a rounded plateau of the hill of Saint-Vincent, it can be reached by car, but it is also possible to reach it on foot, climbing the Cillian valley.
The church of Moron was, at least until the 14th century, the most important church of Saint-Vincent. However, the fact that it has never appeared in lists of parishes or pastoral visits suggests that it has never assumed the rank of parish church, at least since the 12th century.
The church is certainly a favourite destination for the inhabitants of the spa town. It cannot be visited during the week, but it welcomes many of the faithful on Sundays during the 9.00 a.m. mass.
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The houses in the hamlet stand a little apart from the plateau on which the church was erected, probably so as not to disturb its silence and tranquillity. From the church, one cannot see Saint-Vincent, but only the surrounding mountains. This characteristic has always made it appreciated by lovers for its calm and evocative atmosphere.
Building interventions
The church has undergone many building transformations: it was altered in 1609; the door is dated 1654 and the sacristy, 1709; finally, the presbytery dates back to the 15th century. The church has one nave with a circular apse and a vault with cylindrical ribs. There is a small atrium on the façade and the Savoy coat of arms, which is repeated several times, can be seen on the exposed stone walls.
The interior
In the interior of the church there are two 18th-century altars: the high altar, with two twisted columns and a painting (depicting St Maurice, St Mary and St Sengrand) and the altar dedicated to the Madonna, with four twisted columns.
The other altars, all of which have been repainted, are in the interior of the church.
The other frescoes, all repainted, concern St Maurice with the Savoy coat of arms and, in the apse, St Maurice and the symbols of the evangelists Mark and Luke.
The furnishings are kept in the parish museum
.To prevent theft, the valuable furnishings were transferred to the museum located inside the parish church. In particular, the following were transferred:
- the 15th century statue of St Maurice, in which the Saint wears the robes of a warrior with banner and shield, on the back of which the Mauritian cross is painted. Originally, the statue was entirely painted, but around 1920, it was remodelled by ex-combatants who removed the painting.
- A brass basin, 15th or 16th century, of German manufacture.
- A 16th-century silver-plated and gilded copper foil astylar cross, printed with leaves.
- A 17th century silver reliquary in the form of a casket.
- A 17th-century silver-plated copper chalice.
Bibliographical references
Access
Highway exit 
of Châtillon, turn right and follow the signs for Saint-Vincent. Shortly before the Casino de la Vallée you will see the signs for Col de Joux: follow them, turning left and starting to climb the extensive Saint-Vincent hill. After a few kilometres you reach the village of Moron: turn right and approach the church until you reach the car park in front.
Description
The church of San Maurizio (better known as the church of Moron) is, according to tradition, the oldest church in the Aosta Valley (Monsignor Duc dates its construction to 1112), but there are no documents to confirm this.
Situated on a rounded plateau of the hill of Saint-Vincent, it can be reached by car, but it is also possible to reach it on foot, climbing the Cillian valley.
The church of Moron was, at least until the 14th century, the most important church of Saint-Vincent. However, the fact that it never appeared in the lists of parishes or pastoral visits suggests that it never assumed the rank of parish church, at least from the 12th century onwards.
The church is certainly one of the favourite destinations for the inhabitants of the spa town. It cannot be visited during the week, but it welcomes numerous faithful on Sundays during the 9 a.m. mass.
The houses in the hamlet stand a little apart from the plateau on which the church was erected, probably so as not to disturb its silence and tranquillity. Saint-Vincent is not visible from the church, only the surrounding mountains. This characteristic has always made it appreciated by lovers for its calm and suggestive atmosphere.
Building interventions
The church has undergone many building transformations: it was altered in 1609; the door is dated 1654 and the sacristy, 1709; finally, the presbytery dates back to the 15th century. The church has one nave with a circular apse and a vault with cylindrical ribs. There is a small atrium on the façade and the Savoy coat of arms, which is repeated several times, can be seen on the exposed stone walls.
The interior
In the interior of the church, there are two 18th century altars: the high altar, with two twisted columns and a painting (depicting St Maurice, St Mary and St Sengrand) and the altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary, with four twisted columns.
The other frescoes, all repainted, concern St Maurice with the Savoy coat of arms and, in the apse, St Maurice and the symbols of the evangelists Mark and Luke.
The furnishings kept in the parish museum
In order to prevent theft, the valuable furnishings were transferred to the museum inside the parish church. In particular, the following were transferred:
- the 15th century statue of St. Maurice, in which the saint wears the robes of a warrior with banner and shield, on the back of which the Mauritian cross is painted. Originally the statue was entirely painted, but around 1920 it was remodelled by ex-combatants who removed the painting.
- A brass basin, 15th or 16th century, of German workmanship.
- A silver-plated and gilded copper foil processional cross from the 16th century, printed with leaves.
- A silver reliquary from the 17th century in the form of a casket.
- A silver-plated copper chalice from the 17th century.