Overview
Saint-Oyen is a charming Alpine village in the Aosta Valley, located just a few kilometres from the Swiss border along the ancient Roman consular road that linked Italy with the Valais. Surrounded by towering peaks, larch forests and open meadows criss-crossed by age-old paths, the village has long served as a resting place for wayfarers, pilgrims and travellers on the Via Francigena, either arriving from or heading towards the Great St Bernard Pass.
The first historical mention of Saint-Oyen dates back to 1137, when Amadeus III of Savoy granted the lands of Château Verdun—then belonging to the parish of Étroubles—to the provostry of the Great St Bernard. The name “Saint-Oyen” is associated with the cult of Saint Eugendus (Oyen in French), abbot of the Abbey of Condat, whose veneration was introduced here by Benedictine monks. Over the centuries, the village grew around mountain pastures, farmsteads and rural chapels, becoming a strategic stop along the Via Francigena under the influence of the Hospice of the Great St Bernard.
Today, the historic centre preserves the authentic character of an Aosta Valley mountain village: slate roofs, stone-and-wood houses, timber-frame barns, granite fountains and cobbled lanes weaving between vegetable gardens and courtyards.
Among the most notable landmarks are the Parish Church and Château Verdun, a fortified manor house donated in 1137 by Count Amadeus III of Savoy to the canons of the Great St Bernard, which became a key stopping place along the Via Francigena.
The surrounding area, crossed by the Alta Via no. 1 of the Aosta Valley, is an invitation to walk and to contemplate. Hiking trails lead to Plan Puitz, with its cave fortifications, and to the Comba di Flassin, along routes that combine natural beauty with historical memory. In summer, the pastures provide the setting for the production of Fontina DOP cheese, while in winter the landscape transforms into an ideal playground for ski mountaineering, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Saint-Oyen’s cuisine is hearty and unmistakably Alpine: carbonada valdostana, polenta concia, zuppa alla valpellinentze, and above all the village’s signature speciality—prosciutto alla brace di Saint-Oyen, a traditional agri-food product (PAT) which may only be prepared within the municipality itself. Completing the picture are mountain cheeses, honey, herbal liqueurs and dark rye bread baked in stone ovens.
Throughout the year, the village comes alive with traditional festivities, such as the historic Carnival of the Coumba Freida with its landzette—strange and unsettling figures dressed in colourful costumes and hats recalling the uniforms of the Napoleonic troops who crossed the Great St Bernard Pass in 1800—and the lively Jambon Festival, three days of gastronomy, sport and music held at the beginning of August.
11014 Saint-Oyen AO, Italia
