Notre Dame du Scex

Useful Information

Location:	Saint-Maurice, Valais Suisse. About 300 m south of St-Maurice on Sous le Scex. There is a trail leading up to the cliff, 30 minutes walk.
Open:	no restrictions. Path closed NOV to 15-MAR. [2020]
Fee:	free, donations welcome. [2020]
Classification:	Cave Church
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	St=484, 135 m above the plain
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no, many steps
Bibliography:
Address:	St-Maurice Tourisme, Avenue des Terreaux 1, 1890 St-Maurice, Tel: +41-24-485-4040, Fax: +41-24-485-4080. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

611-614	first used as hermitage by Saint Amé.
8th century	first chapel erected.
17th century	current chapel erected.
1958-59	restoration and excavation.

Description

The small hermitage with the church Notre Dame du Scex is located high up in the vertical cliff face of the Rhone valley, 90 m above St-Maurice. It can be reached on a trail with 484 steps. The hermitage was the home of Saint Amé, a monk from the Royale Abbaye de St-Maurice, who lived here during the 7th century. A statue at the entrance created by Roger Gaspoz in 2011 depicts the hermit. The hermitage is available for people seeking god to stay here for some time, but it is not open to the public.

The chapel is a normal church and may be visited daily. Masses are held between May and October. Please behave accordingly. The stained window and the altar cloth were created by Albert Chavaz in 1959. The Virgin and Child statue in the central niche is from the 13th century.