Feast of Our Lady of the Zerbion

A festival at the summit above Saint-Vincent

The Feast of Our Lady of the Zerbion is one of the most evocative religious events in the Aosta Valley: it takes place every year on July 29th on the summit of Monte Zerbion, at an altitude of 2,722 meters, above the municipality of Saint-Vincent, in the province of Aosta. To reach the celebration site, the faithful undertake a mountain hike, a blend of walking, effort, and spirituality that makes the feast a true high-altitude pilgrimage.

The votive statue and the memory of the Great War

At the summit of Monte Zerbion stands a large seven-meter-high statue of the Madonna, erected in fulfillment of a vow by mothers, wives, and sisters of men who went to the front during World War I. Each year, the feast renews that vow, in a gesture of remembrance and faith that connects generations and preserves the memory of those who did not return. At the foot of the statue, the panorama embraces some of the most majestic peaks of the Alps: the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc, and Gran Paradiso.

Masses, polenta, and conviviality

The program includes mass at the summit at 10 AM and a second celebration at Pian Tavela at 12 PM, intended for those who do not make the climb to the top. Afterwards, the traditional distribution of polenta and salami transforms the religious moment into an occasion for conviviality among hikers and the faithful, in the heart of the Aosta Valley mountains. An authentic festival, far from mass tourism, that tells of the deep bond between alpine communities, faith, and their territory.