Saint-Pierre Castle (, ) is a late 12th century castle located at Saint-Pierre 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 ...

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 ...

Early history

The first records of the castle date from the late 12th century and it is thought that is when the castle was first constructed. Far less grand than it is today, the original castle consisted only of basic walls and two towers. Over subsequent centuries, the castle had a number of owners including members of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

. A family of local nobility (House of Roncas, or ''Maison de Roncas'' in French) purchased the castle in the 17th century and it was that family that expanded the castle into a large fortified residence.''Saint-Pierre Castle''
(Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali / Musée régional des sciences naturelles)

Later history

Thereafter, the castle fell into disrepair until its purchase by

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Emanuele Bollati in the 1870s. He renovated the castle and modernised many of its features. It remained in the possession of his family until the 20th century when it was handed over to the town of Saint-Pierre and became the Regional Museum of Natural Science (, ). In 1824, the castle was sketched by a travelling James Duffield Harding. At the foot of the castle, standing out in stucco white, is the parish church of Saint-Pierre, built in 1872.

External links

Aosta Valley official website

References

Castles in Aosta Valley {{Italy-castle-stub

Early history

Later history

See also

External links

References