THE SCULPTURE OF SAINT CATHERINE

The Académie Saint-Anselme was founded on 29th March 1855 and consists of intellectuals, both laypeople and members of the clergy, bonded by the desire to spread knowledge of and respect for the cultural heritage of the Aosta Valley. It was born, therefore, with strong links to the region and has since developed for more than a century and a half to reflect events and the tastes of its donor members. Among the most significant works, worth noting is the bequest of Noussan, to which the sculpture of Saint Catherine belongs: a high-relief made of gypsum alabaster, perhaps from the Sarriod chapel in the parish church of Introd, it was made in the workshop of the most famous 15th century sculptor in Aosta Valley, Stefano Mossettaz. The work, emblem of the Académie, is symbolic of the exchange between Vittorio Cacherano’s collection and the learned society’s, which is now on display in the rooms of the castle.