Sarriod de la Tour

An ancient, fairy tale castle that is now a museum

When is it open: see the "for further information" section at the bottom of the page

What's not to be missed: The"Room of the Heads", the chapel and the “viret”

Where is it: the Municipality of Saint-Pierre

Why?...Because it's worth it: Rich concepts supported by picturesque surroundings

We are unsure of the origins of the castle located in Saint-Pierre, in a flatland area a short distance from the state road. The oldest building included the chapel and the central, square tower (donjon) surrounded by the castle walls: a configuration typical of Valdostane castles dating back to the X-XII century. In 1420, near the tower called “turris Sariodorum”, Jean Sarriod ordered the building of a real castle, with representative functions, by adding a series of structures to the pre-existing donjon. This work

also incorporated the building of the spiral staircase in the tower (viret) and the addition of crossed windows in cut stone, which are characteristic of fifteenth century Valdostane architecture. In 1478, Antoine Sarriod de la Tour, son of Jean, transformed the chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist; outdoor frescoes were added to markthe occasion depicting the Crucifixion and St. Christopher and the small steeple was also raised. There are also some interesting fragments of thirteenth-century frescoes in the chapel: the more considerable ruins are preserved on the southern wall: the upper part

of a Crucifixion on the vault, 2 saints, mermaids and grotesque figures - on the lower part of the building - and the Adoration of the Wise Men between the windows. The "Room of the Heads" the main representative room, owes its name to the ceiling supported by 171 corbels that were sculpted in grotesque shapes - mythical monsters and animals carrying heraldry coats of arms - dated to around 1430.