I santi della transumanza in Valsesia: una lettura etnografica

[Machine translation] The essay highlights the functions assigned to the saints who protect the time and space of transhumance, who have become owners of parish churches, oratories and chapels in Valsesia, and how they were remembered and celebrated in some communities. The investigation analyzed the main printed sources and archival documents, in addition to conducting a careful observation in the field of iconography. In particular, the parish reports were analyzed in response to questionnaires formulated by the bishops, preserved in the Diocesan Archive of Novara. In particular, the parish reports were consulted in response to questionnaires formulated during the nineteenth century by the Novara bishops, which account for festive practices related to the saints under investigation. From the perspective of the research, some festivals associated with the saints that define the rhythms of transhumance have been considered. The practice of mountain pastures in the rich pastures of high mountains began under the protection of Saint Bernard of Menton or Saint John the Baptist (June) and ended during the time governed by Saint Michael the Archangel (September). The Valsesian communities have directed devotional practices towards the three saints: ownership of churches, patronage of places, construction of chapels, pictorial cycles, popular festivals.