During the Middle Ages, the road was called Via Francigena, and pilgrims arriving from France passed through Mont Cenis and the Susa Valley on their way to Rome. It was one of the most used Alpine passes from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century. Several abbeys were built to accommodate pilgrims, such as Novalesa Abbey founded in 726AD on the foot of a mountain and the monumental Sacra di San Michele abbey.