Quart Castle

A few kilometres beyond Aosta, heading towards Châtillon, a castle stands on a rocky spur above the plain, at the mouth of the Valsainte valley. This is Quart. It is one of the oldest castles in the valley.

The lords of Quart, founders in 1185

According to tradition, the castle was founded in 1185 by Jacques de la Porte Saint-Ours, from a noble Aosta family. His descendants took the name of the place: they became the lords of Quart, one of the most powerful families in the valley in the Middle Ages. The last of them, Henri, died in 1378. The castle then passed to the Counts of Savoy, who kept it until 1550.

A village rather than a fortress

Quart is not a single block. It is a group of separate buildings packed inside an enclosure, rather like a fortified hamlet. At first there was a tower surrounded by a wall. The lords added a chapel and a great hall, the ‘aula magna’. The House of Savoy later enlarged the living quarters. The keep still has paintings from the late 13th century, showing Alexander the Great, Samson and scenes of the months of the year. The chapel was rebuilt in 1606 and decorated with white stucco.

From farm to future museum in Quart

After the Savoys, the castle changed hands many times. The municipality of Quart bought it in 1800, then sold it in 1874 to private owners, who set up a farm there. The Region became its owner in 1991. A first phase of work restored the keep, the chapel and the entrance: in 2016, more than 5,800 people came to see them during a one-month special opening. A second phase, begun in 2021, is nearing completion. A museum route is to follow before the castle opens to the public.

Seeing it

Quart Castle
Località Castello
11020 Quart (AO)
+39 0165 274 363

The castle is closed for works, with no reopening date announced. You can see it from outside: from the Aosta-Est exit, follow signs for Villair and then the village of Fournaille, park on a bend and walk up a short path. From the castle, a track leads in about an hour to the hermitage of the Blessed Emeric.

Maps: personal work by Marc Badjou.