Chapel and archaeological area

THE UNION BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE

During the archaeological assistance to the excavation works for the construction of the new Campus A, some evidence of archaeological interest was identified near the Chapel of San Bernardo. To the north of the religious building, two indirect cremation tombs were found, while to the west of the same, a large quadrangular base in pebbles and mortar probably referable to a funerary monument, part of a cemetery area from the Roman era.

The test carried out inside the religious building, on the occasion of the resurfacing of the flooring, also allowed us to hypothesize the presence of two construction phases: a first phase, in which the structure appeared as a small country church, datable between the 15th and 16th centuries and a second phase, to be ascribed to the 17th century in which the building was extended towards the south, doubling its dimensions (the portico in front was added later in the 19th century).

The grave goods found inside the two tombs suggest a dating back to the 1st century AD.


Furthermore, to the south-east of the church, two different rustic road systems providing access to the church have been identified, dating back to between the late Middle Ages and the modern age.


The country chapel is dedicated to Saint Bernard of Menton, Archdeacon of Aosta who lived between 1020 and 1081 between Savoy and Piedmont. He built the famous Monastery on the Great Saint Bernard Pass bearing his name, dedicated to the hospitality of pilgrims and where the dog breed of the same name was selected. For this reason the iconographic attribute is the dog. The liturgical memorial is celebrated on June 15.

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