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CHIESA CONFRATERNITA della
SS. ANNUNZIATA (CONFRATERNITY CHURCH of OUR LADY)
Arisen in 1500
by wish of the municipality, it was built with the end part
on the walls and the sacristy above a semi cylindrical tower.
It is possible that it had its own façade originally,
but this was later removed when the choir of the confraternity
was built above the vault which connects the current pseudo
façade with the north nave of Saint Bartholomew. The
choir of the confraternity faces from above onto the only nave
of the small church. The confraternity holds rich furnishings
with a polychrome altar, impressive work by Francesco Solari,
dating from 1760, with ancona painted in oil on canvas, portraying
Our Lady, by a Piedmontese artist. There are wooden chandeliers
of beautiful workmanship, processional lamps, two pastoral staffs
with ends in embossed silver depicting the Annunciation and
an exquisite sacristy cabinet of the 18TH century. A niche,
in the Church, holds the “carriage” of Our Lady
of Sorrows, which was brought in procession. |
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CHIESA di S.MARIA ASSUNTA in PISENZANA (CHURCH OF OUR
LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION in PISENZANA)
Already parish church before the
foundation of Montechiaro, it was the parish church of Pisenzana.
Certainly very antique, perhaps protoromanesque in the lower
part where the curved space is marked by responds recalling
the Byzantine tradition handed down and extended by the primitive
Romanesque architecture.
The cresting with hanging archlets, still existing today,
passes above the responds without having any reference to
them. This cornice keeps the characteristics of the Asti Romanesque
architecture with shaped corbels and ornate with antropomorphical
graffiti and geometric decorations to support the hanging
archlets and an ornamentation in rhomboid brick to “lighten”
the construction. What remains of the ancient church is very
little, but historically important to date Christian development
in the area.
The surrounding area was a cemetery until 1894. |
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CHIESA di SAN BARTOLOMEO (CHURCH OF SAINT BARTHOLEMEW)
The Church
of Saint Bartholomew in Montechiaro dates from the 14th century;
the ogival arches visible in the north wall and the buttresses
still gracing the external side walls are evidence of this.
In addition to the aforementioned medieval arches, recent work
has brought to light suggestions of the ancient cylindrical
columns which divided the church into three naves, and some
specimens of wainscoting adorn the perimeter walls.
Behind a number of paintings of the Stations of the Cross are
some medieval artefacts, which probably extended to all the
walls, with portrayals of biblical episodes.
An artistic 18th century walnut choir with carved panels is
located behind the altar; at the centre of the choir is a large
canvas depicting the coronation of Our Lady with Saints, by
the Moncalvo School of painters. |
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| Other places of interest in
Montechiaro: click here |
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