Monumental statuary
Last update: 15 February 2023, 11:25
In the city of Aosta arise several monumental works of statuary character, of great interest to the visitor.
Fountains of Buthier and Dora Baltea
WHERE: in Chanoux Square.
DESCRIPTION: the stone fountains with the personifications of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, the two rivers at the meeting of which the town of Aosta was built, are part of the decoration work to complete the neoclassical building complex of the Town Hall (1838-’42). The author, by reason of style, has been identified in the sculptor Giuseppe Argenti (Viggiù,Varese 1810 - Novara 1876).
Monument to the Valdaostan soldier
WHERE: in Chanoux Square.
DESCRIPTION: this monument, erected in 1924 in memory of the fallen Valdaostan soldiers in WW1, symbolically commemorates the victims of all the wars. The bronze statue portrays an Alpine soldier, whilst the triumphal arch in stone and marble includes a bronze bas-relief portraying the return of the victorious. This work was executed by the Piedmontese sculptor Pietro Canonica (1869-1959); the verses engraved on the base were written by the poet Giosuè Carducci.
Tombstone to the fallen of World War I
WHERE: in Chanoux square, under the arcades of the Hôtel de Ville.
WHERE: in Chanoux Square.DESCRIPTION: this monument, erected in 1924 in memory of the fallen Valdaostan soldiers in WW1, symbolically commemorates the victims of all the wars. The bronze statue portrays an Alpine soldier, whilst the triumphal arch in stone and marble includes a bronze bas-relief portraying the return of the victorious. This work was executed by the Piedmontese sculptor Pietro Canonica (1869-1959); the verses engraved on the base were written by the poet Giosuè Carducci.
Tombstone to the fallen of World War I
WHERE: in Chanoux square, under the arcades of the Hôtel de Ville.DESCRIPTION: this bronze plaque, unveiled in 1924, represents a sinuous winged Glory in the act of symbolically crowning with laurel the fallen men of WW1, robust naked figures enveloped by the flames of battle fire. This was executed by the sculptor from Turin, Giovanni Riva (1890-1973).
Tombstone to the battalion Aosta
WHERE: in Chanoux square, under the arcades of the Hôtel de Ville.
DESCRIPTION: the bronze bas-relief with Victory consigning her standard to an Alpine soldier commemorates the Gold Medal for Military Valour conferred on the Alpine Battalion “Aosta” for the heroism in action on Mount Vodice and on Mount Solarolo during the course of WW1. It was executed in 1924 by the sculptor from Turin, Giovanni Riva (1890-1973).
Statue of Dr. Laurent Cerise
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.
DESCRIPTION: of Valdaostan origin, Cerise became an internationally renowned doctor whilst practicing in Paris. The statue in white Carrara marble, the work of the sculptor Giovanni Giuseppe Albertoni from Val Sesia (1806-1887), was set up in 1872 on the square in front of the Town Hall entrance, from where it was later removed to be replaced by the monument to the Valdaostan Soldier.
Statue of Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.
DESCRIPTION: the bronze statue of the huntsman King, fashioned by the Piedmontese sculptor Antonio Tortone, stands at the centre of the public garden created by the urban authorities to enhance the town and to fittingly showcase the monument to the first king of Italy. The solemn unveiling took place on Sunday 4th July 1886, on the occasion of the festivities marking the arrival of the railway in Aosta.
Statue of King Umberto I of Savoy
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.
DESCRIPTION: this monument, by the sculptor from Turin Edoardo Rubino (1871-1954), was inaugurated on 1st September, 1903. The plinth in white Carrara marble forms the base for the bust of the sovereign and two bas-reliefs with the allegorical representations of Loyalty and Goodness. The big bronze eagle, symbol of the House of Savoy, mortally wounded in the fight with a serpent, alludes to the dramatic attack in which the king lost his life in 1900.
Statue of St. Anselm
WHERE: in Xavier de Maistre street, near the seminary.
DESCRIPTION: Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, was included among the Doctors of the Church as one of the maximum theologians of the West. The monument was executed on the occasion of the festivities organized in 1909 in Aosta, birthplace of the saint, to mark the VIII centenary of his death. The bronze statue was the work of Arturo Stagliano (1867-1936), a pupil of the famous Piedmontese sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi.
Cenotaph "Tribute to St. Anselm"
WHERE: in Monsignor de Sales street, near the side entrance of the Cathedral.
DESCRIPTION: the altar-sepulchre, sculpted in green Saint-Denis marble on a bronze base was carried out by the British artist Stephen Cox (Bristol, 1946) to mark the occasion of the 9 centenary of Saint Anselm’s death. A similar work was donated in 2006 by the authorities of the Valle d’Aosta autonomous Region to the cathedral of Canterbury where Anselmo held the see as archbishop from 1093 to 1109.
Statue of Père Laurent
WHERE: in Padre Lorenzo avenue.
DESCRIPTION: the Refuge for the Poor was built to offer shelter to the needy and to beggars by Père Laurent, whose real name was Pierre-Thomas Lachenal, who was the Savoy Provincial of the Capuchin Friars Minor. The bronze statue of the founder, unveiled in 1889, was executed by the renowned Piedmontese sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi (1859-1933).
Statue of Count Edoardo Crotti di Costigliole
WHERE: in Xavier de Maistre street.
DESCRIPTION: born in Piedmont, Count Crotti was the foremost representative of the conservative clerical party in the AostaValley. The marble bust, executed by the sculptor Giovanni Giuseppe Albertoni (1806-1887), was set up in 1873 on the façade of the Maison Blanche, erected by the St. Gilles parish of Verrès on the site of where the Roman De Pertuis tower had stood.
The Cross of Calvin
WHERE: in Croix de Ville street.
DESCRIPTION: the cross was set up in 1541 at the intersection of the two main streets of the town to celebrate the victory of catholic orthodoxy against the penetration of Protestantism in the AostaValley, and was renovated more than once thereafter. In 1841 it was rebuilt in a complex neo-Egyptian style, with the addition of a fountain, by the Town architect Filippo Gayo, who just a few years later drew up the plans for the neoclassical façade of the Aosta cathedral.
Statues of two Caesars
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.
DESCRIPTION: the two statues are bronze copies of the celebrated Roman originals in marble, the Julius Caesar of the Capitolini Museums and the Augusto Loricato in the Vatican Museums. Unveiled in 1938, they were donated by Benito Mussolini to the Town of Aosta, just as also to other Italian cities of Roman origin.
The Capitoline she-wolf
WHERE: in the Repubblica square.
DESCRIPTION: this is a copy of the famous bronze of medieval origin kept in the Capitolini Museums in Rome, traditionally considered to be one of the symbols of the Roman spirit. The monument was unveiled on 1939, together with the Casa Littoria (the House of the Lictors), planned by the architect Giuseppe Moro, in front of which the monument stands.
Tombstone to the battalion Aosta
WHERE: in Chanoux square, under the arcades of the Hôtel de Ville.DESCRIPTION: the bronze bas-relief with Victory consigning her standard to an Alpine soldier commemorates the Gold Medal for Military Valour conferred on the Alpine Battalion “Aosta” for the heroism in action on Mount Vodice and on Mount Solarolo during the course of WW1. It was executed in 1924 by the sculptor from Turin, Giovanni Riva (1890-1973).
Statue of Dr. Laurent Cerise
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.DESCRIPTION: of Valdaostan origin, Cerise became an internationally renowned doctor whilst practicing in Paris. The statue in white Carrara marble, the work of the sculptor Giovanni Giuseppe Albertoni from Val Sesia (1806-1887), was set up in 1872 on the square in front of the Town Hall entrance, from where it was later removed to be replaced by the monument to the Valdaostan Soldier.
Statue of Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.DESCRIPTION: the bronze statue of the huntsman King, fashioned by the Piedmontese sculptor Antonio Tortone, stands at the centre of the public garden created by the urban authorities to enhance the town and to fittingly showcase the monument to the first king of Italy. The solemn unveiling took place on Sunday 4th July 1886, on the occasion of the festivities marking the arrival of the railway in Aosta.
Statue of King Umberto I of Savoy
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.DESCRIPTION: this monument, by the sculptor from Turin Edoardo Rubino (1871-1954), was inaugurated on 1st September, 1903. The plinth in white Carrara marble forms the base for the bust of the sovereign and two bas-reliefs with the allegorical representations of Loyalty and Goodness. The big bronze eagle, symbol of the House of Savoy, mortally wounded in the fight with a serpent, alludes to the dramatic attack in which the king lost his life in 1900.
Statue of St. Anselm
WHERE: in Xavier de Maistre street, near the seminary.DESCRIPTION: Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, was included among the Doctors of the Church as one of the maximum theologians of the West. The monument was executed on the occasion of the festivities organized in 1909 in Aosta, birthplace of the saint, to mark the VIII centenary of his death. The bronze statue was the work of Arturo Stagliano (1867-1936), a pupil of the famous Piedmontese sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi.
Cenotaph "Tribute to St. Anselm"
WHERE: in Monsignor de Sales street, near the side entrance of the Cathedral.DESCRIPTION: the altar-sepulchre, sculpted in green Saint-Denis marble on a bronze base was carried out by the British artist Stephen Cox (Bristol, 1946) to mark the occasion of the 9 centenary of Saint Anselm’s death. A similar work was donated in 2006 by the authorities of the Valle d’Aosta autonomous Region to the cathedral of Canterbury where Anselmo held the see as archbishop from 1093 to 1109.
Statue of Père Laurent
WHERE: in Padre Lorenzo avenue.DESCRIPTION: the Refuge for the Poor was built to offer shelter to the needy and to beggars by Père Laurent, whose real name was Pierre-Thomas Lachenal, who was the Savoy Provincial of the Capuchin Friars Minor. The bronze statue of the founder, unveiled in 1889, was executed by the renowned Piedmontese sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi (1859-1933).
Statue of Count Edoardo Crotti di Costigliole
WHERE: in Xavier de Maistre street.DESCRIPTION: born in Piedmont, Count Crotti was the foremost representative of the conservative clerical party in the AostaValley. The marble bust, executed by the sculptor Giovanni Giuseppe Albertoni (1806-1887), was set up in 1873 on the façade of the Maison Blanche, erected by the St. Gilles parish of Verrès on the site of where the Roman De Pertuis tower had stood.
The Cross of Calvin
WHERE: in Croix de Ville street.DESCRIPTION: the cross was set up in 1541 at the intersection of the two main streets of the town to celebrate the victory of catholic orthodoxy against the penetration of Protestantism in the AostaValley, and was renovated more than once thereafter. In 1841 it was rebuilt in a complex neo-Egyptian style, with the addition of a fountain, by the Town architect Filippo Gayo, who just a few years later drew up the plans for the neoclassical façade of the Aosta cathedral.
Statues of two Caesars
WHERE: in the public gardens, between Conseil des Commis and Ollietti streets.DESCRIPTION: the two statues are bronze copies of the celebrated Roman originals in marble, the Julius Caesar of the Capitolini Museums and the Augusto Loricato in the Vatican Museums. Unveiled in 1938, they were donated by Benito Mussolini to the Town of Aosta, just as also to other Italian cities of Roman origin.
The Capitoline she-wolf
WHERE: in the Repubblica square.DESCRIPTION: this is a copy of the famous bronze of medieval origin kept in the Capitolini Museums in Rome, traditionally considered to be one of the symbols of the Roman spirit. The monument was unveiled on 1939, together with the Casa Littoria (the House of the Lictors), planned by the architect Giuseppe Moro, in front of which the monument stands.