Pierre-Louis Vescoz
Priest, mountaineer and maker of relief models of the Aosta Valley (1840-1925)
Canon Vescoz devoted his life to the Church, the mountains and science. He is best known for his large relief models of the Aosta Valley, praised as far away as the Vatican.
From Verrayes to Cogne: Vescoz’s early years
Pierre-Louis Vescoz was born in 1840 in Charrère, a hamlet of Verrayes. Ordained in 1866, he served as curate in Cogne and then Courmayeur. In Cogne, with Abbé Carrel, he founded the Petite Société alpine de Cogne.
From 1874 to 1893 he was parish priest of Pont-Saint-Martin. In 1893 he became a canon of Aosta Cathedral, where he lived until his death. He also taught physics at the seminary.
The valley in relief: models of the territory
A keen mountaineer, he made relief models, three-dimensional models of the landscape. In 1888 his relief of the Aosta Valley, covering 6 m², was shown at the Vatican Exhibition. Pope Leo XIII awarded him the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice cross. His reliefs also won him a silver medal at the National Exhibitions in Turin.
An honorary member of the Italian Alpine Club, he also wrote for the newspaper Le Duché d’Aoste. He died in 1925. In Verrayes, the arboretum now bears his name.
Source: Municipality of Verrayes, notable figures.
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