MUSEO DI ARTE RELIGIOSA ALPINA – sede di Novalesa

The Museum of Alpine Religious Art in Novalesa preserves and enhances the numerous and very important artistic testimonies, some of which are of European significance, housed in the parish church of Novalesa. An extraordinary collection of art objects, among which the reliquary urn of Saint Eldrad, abbot of Novalesa in the 9th century, the work of a Rhine-Mosano silversmith from the 12th century, stands out for its importance.In addition to the renovated premises of the Chapel of the Confraternity, the visit also includes the adjacent parish church, which houses, among other things, valuable paintings by the school of Caravaggio, Rubens, Le Moyne and Daniele da Volterra, transferred at Napoleon's behest from Paris to the Moncenisio hospice and from there to Novalesa.Novalesa, an ancient village located at the foot of the Moncenisio pass, has always linked its history to that of the famous Benedictine abbey, founded in 726. The museum is housed in the premises of the chapel of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, adjacent to the 17th-century parish church of Santo Stefano, located in the heart of the village. A cycle of frescoes depicting the Vices and Virtues can be seen on the recently restored façade. The museum houses sacred works of art from the area, which has always been an important stop on the route between northern and southern Europe.The museum is part of the Susa Diocesan Museum System.