Museo parrocchiale di Ayas

Museum of sacred art in the cemetery chapel of Antagnod, with statues, reliquaries and the rare 14th-century Vierge Ouvrante.

Opening hours unknownFree admission

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About the museum

The museum is housed in the cemetery chapel of Antagnod, dating from the late 15th century and located next to the parish church of San Martino. The chapel also served the parish confraternities; on its façade are a statue of the Madonna of the Rosary and a large cross bearing the symbols of the instruments of the Passion.

Among the works on show are the chapel’s altar, from the mid-17th century, by a sculptor from the Valsesia; various statues of the Virgin, saints and angels; pairs of 18th-century reliquary busts in carved wood; chasubles, processional crosses and liturgical objects such as chalices and monstrances.

The most unusual piece is the Vierge Ouvrante (Madonna casket), found in the parish church of Antagnod and dating from the mid-14th century: an enthroned Virgin with the Child who, when the two panels of the bust are opened, reveals inside a representation of the Trinity between two angels. It is the only known example in the Aosta Valley.

Highlights

14th-century Vierge Ouvrante, the only known example in the Aosta Valley
Wooden altar from the mid-17th century
18th-century reliquary busts in carved and gilded wood
Processional crosses and liturgical objects

Permanent exhibition

Arte sacra della parrocchia di Ayas – Statues, reliquaries, processional crosses and liturgical objects, including the 14th-century Vierge Ouvrante from Antagnod.

Operated by: Parrocchia di Ayas