Aosta

In French, the name of the Aosta Valley is spelled Aoste , and is locally pronounced as ost , although in standard French it is pronounced as Aost ^[1] .

Aosta in ancient times was the center of the Celtic-Ligurian tribe of Salasses , which interfered with the free penetration of the Romans into Gaul . For the first time, the Romans realized the threat from the Alpine tribes during the Second Punic War , when the Gauls supported the invasion of the Carthaginian army of Hannibal in Italy ( 218 BC ). Later, Salasses were attacked by the Romans in 143 BC. e. under the Consul of Appia Claudius Pulchre , who hoped to achieve an easy victory and receive a triumph. Having suffered a defeat, he was forced to turn to the prophecies of the Sibyl books and only then won ^[2] .

With the conquest of Gaul in the I century BC. e. a safe passage through Greater and Lesser Saint Bernard was required. Therefore, in 25 BC. e. Augustus ordered Terence Varron Murena to lead a new expedition against the Salasses, as they continued to impede the passage of the Roman legions into Gaul and the Upper Rhine Valley. Murena captured the city, selling about 44 thousand Salasses into slavery ^[3] .

On the site of the camp of Varron Moray, three thousand veterans founded a city named after the emperor Augustus Pretoria Salassor ( lat. Augusta Prætoria Salassorum ) ^[3] .

In the valley of Valle d'Aosta, the Romans in 12 BC. e. built the so-called Gallic road ( Publica or Strata ), which in 47 AD e. was paved with stone. In the Middle Ages, it became the famous pilgrimage road - Via Francigena ^[4] .

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city ​​changed hands several times. At the beginning of the VI century, the city was part of the Ostrogothic kingdom . Then the Franks and the Lombards pretended to the city, finally in 575 losing to the Frankish King Guntramnu .

In 888, Aosta became part of the Italian kingdom , and after its collapse in the X century, it became part of Burgundy and was ruled by a bishop. In 1032, the city passed into the possession of Humbert I Beloruky , the ancestor of the House of Savoy . The city and the region remained in the land of the house until the unification of Italy in 1870 (except for the period of French occupation in 1539 - 1563 and 1800 - 1814 ).

The patron saint of the commune is St. Gratus of Aosta , celebrated on September 7th .

See also: Category: Born in Aosta

• Anselm of Canterbury - Catholic theologian , medieval philosopher , Archbishop of Canterbury (since 1093 ).
• Xavier de Mestre - lieutenant in the Sardinian army , writer, author of the novel “The Leper from the City of Aosta”.

Of the remnants of Roman rule, the following are noteworthy:

• Arch of Augustus : well-preserved triumphal gates;
• Praetorian Gate : double eastern fortress gate with three aisles;
• City walls and towers;
• Theater

Of the more modern buildings that deserve attention:

• The Town Hall of the Hotel de Ville ( fr. Hôtel de Ville ), which houses the municipal authorities, in Emile Chanu Square,
• Notre Dame Cathedral (IV century., Rebuilt in the XI century.)
• The collegiate church of St. Ursus with the Romanesque-Gothic church (11th century), a crypt and the famous cloister built in the 15th century.

• Aosta // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.