Descrizione
The spirituality of the place finds one of its greatest expressions in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, a church that has witnessed the community’s history since the first millennium. Although only fragments of stone and documentary records remain of the original building, the parish church still stands, with its Romanesque apses and ancient altar, as a beacon of faith and history.
Inside, the baptistery dating from 1575 and the remains of 14th-century frescoes dedicated to St John the Baptist form a direct link to the past of the local Christian community, which has celebrated its sacred rites here for centuries. This parish church – a term evoking the community of the faithful – has been the religious focal point for the surrounding area, the beating heart from which Christian practice radiated out to the chapels and smaller churches.
As well as being a place of worship, the parish church was the centre of spiritual life, where newborns were baptised and where, on Palm Sunday, holy oil was distributed. Over the centuries, the parish church has undergone numerous restorations and alterations, which have saved it from the ravages of time, fire and earthquakes.
Each restoration has left a mark – a plaque, an inscription – making this place a rare example of living historical memory, which still reveals its beauty and importance today.
