Day 10 – The Waldensian Valley’s

The air was crisp and cloud low as we woke up in Torre Pellice this morning. It was amazing how much the temperature had dropped with the change of altitude, but it felt good to be able to take in a deep breath again without sneezing or choking, as so many of us had been doing in Rome for the last few days.

After a quick breakfast that had been put on earlier than usual by the hotel so we could get away at our regular time (8am), we were picked up by a smaller coach that would more easily handle the narrow mountain roads of the Angrogna valley where we would be heading for most of the day. Before we could head out of town however, we had one more stop to make at the local Adventist church, to pick up our guide – Danielle. This lovely lady operating from her home the Adventist church in Torre Pellice, would today be our local guide as we moved through the various sites in the area.

We soon arrived at our first stop for the day – Bobbio Pellice, just 8km west of Torre Pellice, to see the Sibaud Monument. Requiring a 20 minute climb up the side of the hill near the town, this monument commemorates the 200th anniversary of the gathering of the Waldenses after the ‘glorious return’ in 1689. On this very spot 300 years ago, these faithful people on their return from exile pledged their allegiance, and re-commited themselves to their God. Standing in this same spot, our group today did a similar thing – having a prayer of re-commitment to God and asking that we too would be true to our calling and his word. 

After our prayer and photos with the monument, we made our way back down the hill, and boarded our coach to head up into the Angrogna valley – one of the ancient hiding places for the Waldensian people during the worst days of persecution. Making our way in the forest with Danielle as our guide, we soon found ourselves at the mouth of the Gheisa d’ la Tana (the Church of the Cave). Although the entrance was low and small, our group of 30 easily fit inside this large cave, where the Wallensian people once hid from those seeking their lives. In the darkness our group sung three hymns – Faith of our Fathers, A Mighty Fortress is our God, and What a day that will be – pretty stirring stuff.

Back outside we made our way back out of the forest and stopped in at the school, where the children met for their classes – one of 120 set up by canadian John Beckwith. We then moved onto the Chanforan Monument – erected to commemorate a six day synod in 1532 where the Waldenses officially joined the reformation movement, and where they voted to pay for a translation of the scriptures into French. It was printed in February 1535 – a gift from the Waldensian’s to the reformation. The monument  we stood around was erected in 1932 on the 400th anniversary of this important day in Waldensian and reformation history.

Lunch time was approaching and all the climbing had everyone hungry, but before we would eat, there was one more spot in the mountain we had to see – the College of the Barba. The ‘Barba’ where the Waldensian minister’s (the word meaning ‘uncle’ as opposed to the catholic ‘father’) and at this mountain college young men would learn, memorise, and write down the scriptures. From this base that was also a centre for their resistance, these pastors would go far afield sowing scripture to whoever they could. Many would be captured and killed, but the rest would return to learn and record down more of God’s word, and once more head out to share however they could. 

After finishing our packed lunch, and enjoying the sound of the Torrente Angrogna (Angrogna river) bubbling all around us, we made our way back into the city for our final stop of the day – the Waldensian museum, headquarters, and temple.

Our guide Luka really knew his history, as he walked us through the history of the Waldensian people. He also seemed quite familiar with the Adventist faith, and was happy to share with us the similarities between their people and ours. After numerous stories and harrowing tales of persecution and deliverance, we made our way out of the museum and into the headquarters. Inside he explained the structure of their church, and how it operates throughout the world. We were then led into one of their Temples – their name for a church, built in 1889 – the largest one in the area. What a contrast to stand inside these simple structures after the extravagance of the churches we’ve seen so far. 

It was a real honour to tour through these sites today, and think about the faithfulness of this group of people, who would not be deterred from following God and His word. Today I can say we’ve truly walked the forest walkways of the saints!