Cappella dei Morti (Tototschappolo)

In the hamlet of Underwoald stands the chapel the people of Gressoney call Tototschappolo in their own Titsch tongue — the Chapel of the Dead. It has one solemn job: to receive the funeral processions that converge on the parish church from every hamlet of this Walser valley.

Why it matters

Most chapels in the Alps mark a hamlet's devotion to a favourite saint. This one is different: it exists for the whole community's dead. In the Walser tradition of Gressoney-La-Trinité, Tototschappolo receives funeral processions from the surrounding frazioni before they proceed to the parish church. The chapel reflects the funeral customs of a scattered Walser mountain community.

What to notice

The chapel stands within the built fabric of Underwoald. Frescoes are associated with its interior, and the Titsch name Tototschappolo preserves the valley's Walser language.

Context and history

Gressoney-La-Trinité was shaped by Walser settlers, German-speaking communities who colonised the higher valleys of the western Alps in the medieval period. The chapel at Underwoald stands close to the parish church of the Santissima Trinità, at the centre of a parish whose settlements extend across the valley floor and side slopes. The chapel's role in funeral processions is part of the valley's religious heritage. Tototschappolo is its local Titsch name.