La Magdeleine (; Valdôtain: ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

region of north-west

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Description

La Magdeleine is a small ski resort featuring easy slopes, a nordic ski touring route and a snow park for children. It is also a launching base for hand-glider flights. At an altitude of , it is located on the left bank of the Marmore river, in the middle of the

Valtournenche Valtournenche (; Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy, above the sea level. It is named after and covers the upper side of the ''Valtournenche'', a valley on the left side of the Dora Baltea, ...

Valley. The centre of La Magdeleine is located in the hamlet of Vieu. The municipality features eight mills, powered by water from a small river, whose origins date back to the XVIII century. La Magdeleine is home to many chapels, including one built in the 1600s which is dedicated to

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

, in the hamlet of Messelod. The Saint Mary Magdalene church is dedicated to the patron saint

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

, who gives the name to the municipality itself as well. Paleontological remains found at a height of more than (on the slopes of

Mount Tantané Mount Tantané (; , ) is a 2734 metre high mountain of the Pennine Alps, in the municipality of La Magdeleine, in Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of I ...

) suggest that this area was populated during the first Iron Age. In medieval times, La Magdeleine was part of the Cly fief and was economically linked to Châtillon. The territory of the comune comprises several alpine lakes including Champlong Lakes and Lake Charey.

References

Cities and towns in Aosta Valley {{Aosta-geo-stub