Description of the attraction
Sarriod de la Tour is an old fairytale castle in the town of Saint-Pierre in the Italian region of Val d'Aosta, now turned into a museum. The exact origin of this castle, which stands on a plain near the state highway, has not yet been established. The oldest part, with a chapel and a central square tower surrounded by defensive walls, probably dates back to the 10th-12th centuries, as it is characteristic of the Valdostan castles of that period. In 1420, a certain Jean Sarriod ordered to build a real castle next to the tower, which was known as Turris Sariodorum - for this, several additional structures were added to the tower. At the same time, a spiral staircase was built in the tower and cross windows of cut stone were added - these elements were typical of 15th century architecture. In 1478, Antoine Sarriod de la Tour, son of Jean, consecrated an old chapel in honor of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Divine and ordered to paint its walls with frescoes depicting scenes of the Crucifixion. And the chapel itself was crowned with a small spire. Interestingly, fragments of the 13th century frescoes are also preserved inside - the most significant are on the southern wall: in the upper part you can see the Crucifixion, in the lower part - the image of two saints, mermaids and grotesque figures, and between the windows - the Adoration of the Magi.
The main hall of the castle - the so-called Room of the Heads - got its name from the ceiling supported by 171 brackets, carved in the form of grotesque figures - mythical monsters and animals with family coats of arms. The creation of these figures dates back to around 1430. In general, the first mention of the Sarriod family, connected politically, but not by blood ties, with the lords of the Bard, dates back to the end of the 12th century.
At the end of the 15th century, semicircular and round towers were added to the defensive wall of the Sarriod de la Tour, and a new entrance was made on the west side with a portal with pointed arches and an arched vault with the coat of arms of the Sarriod family. The west-facing wing of the castle was added in the 16th century, and the north tower dates from the 17th century. Some of the wall paintings and the stucco fireplace are the work of the masters of the 18th century. The castle remained in the ownership of the Sarriod de la Tour family until 1923, when it passed to the Benza family from Genoa, and since 1970 it has been the property of the government of the Autonomous Region of Val d'Aosta.
