| Churches of Carnia | |
| Itinerary type | Automotive |
|---|---|
| State |  Italy |
| Region | Friuli Venezia Giulia |
| Territory | Carnia |
Churches of Carnia is a themed itinerary that can be done through the Carnia, territory ofFriulian Alpine Arch.
Introduction
Background
In the past, in Carnia there was a territorial system organized on the Pievi (from plebs, people), ancient churches built starting from the fifth century under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and that they found in the Church of Zuglio (Julium Carnicum) the main center of evangelization and administration, especially following the barbarian invasions. The parishes often arise in an elevated position and far from inhabited centers and this allows you to control the valley floors and the main communication routes as well as allow communication between them. Their pre-eminent role loses importance with the increase of the population and the constitution of the parishes starting from the XIV-XV century.
How to get
Stages
There are ten safe and documented historical parishes of Carnia.
Pievi della Carnia: full screen map.- 1 San Floriano (in Illegio). Built in the 9th century perhaps on the ruins of a previous sacred building of the 3rd-4th century, it was initially dedicated to S. Vito. The position is on a hill overlooking the Valle del But on one side and the Illegio basin on the other. Its jurisdiction extended over the parishes of Illegio, Imponzo, Salino, Dierico and Paularo. The patronal feast is set for May 4, the day dedicated to the titular saint of the parish.
- 2 Santa Maria Oltrebut (in Caneva di Tolmezzo). It was built in the 6th century on a hill between the towns of Caneva and Casanova above the But stream, controlling the ancient Julia Augusta road towards Julium Carnicum and Norico (Austria). The titular presbyter of the church enjoys the titles of parish priest of Tolmezzo, archdeacon of Carnia and apostolic supernumerary protonotary. In addition to the city of Tolmezzo, its jurisdiction extended to the parishes of Caneva, Terzo and Lorenzaso, Cazzaso, Fusea and Betania. The patronal feast is celebrated on August 15 (Assumption of Mary); other important feasts are that of San Lorenzo (10 August) and San Marco (25 April).
- 3 Saint Stephen (to Cesclans). Mentioned in some documents of the twelfth century, its foundation dates back to at least the eighth century. It was restored first in 1777 and then following the 1976 earthquake. As with other churches in the area, in the Middle Ages it was entrusted to the jurisdiction of the Abbey of S. Gallo di Moggio. Just outside the town of Cesclans, a hamlet of Cavazzo Carnico], it is located on a hill overlooking the other hamlets of Somplago and Mena and the area of Lake Cavazzo. The 1976 earthquake almost completely destroyed the previous building, leaving only the bell tower standing. After the earthquake in 1993 the reconstruction began which tried to resume the previous forms; the church was reopened for worship in 2008. The patronal feast is set for December 26th.
Verzegnis - Pieve di San Martino
- 4 Saint martin (at Villa di Verzegnis). It dominated the entire municipality with the exception of the small village of Pozzis (diocese of Concordia-Pordenone). Founded around the eighth century, it was rebuilt in the eighteenth century by Domenico Schiavi. Holidays are the first Sunday in October and 11 November.
Parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Invillino
- 5 St. Mary Magdalene (in Invillino). Located on Colle Santino just above the town of Invillino in the municipality of Villa Santina, it was built between the seventh and ninth centuries after the Colle di Zucca complex where there was an early Christian place of worship, during the reorganization carried out by the Patriarchate of Aquileia following the barbarian invasions. It extended its jurisdiction over the municipalities of Villa Santina, Lauco and the hamlet of Esemon di Sopra (Raveo). The patronal feast is on July 22nd.
- Archaeological investigations have highlighted the presence of four buildings preceding the current one, connected first to the castrum and then to the castle. The first dates back to the 7th century and was dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
- The discovery of the fragment of a baptismal plaque allows us to say that already at that time the church had this important function. At the 11th century AD, the moment of the division of the Carnia in plebania and the first documentary citations, Santa Maria Maddalena counted among its dependencies the communities of Verzegnis, Lovasio, Villa, Lauco, Alegnidis, Vinaio, Avaglio, Trava and Esemon di Sopra.
- The current church in the Romanesque layout with three naves would date back to the second half of the fifteenth century (1431) and would be the work of the master Stefano del fu Simone di Mena, carpenter of Venzone. Specifically, the building would have been built using the stones deriving from the castle of Invillino, dismantled by the Patriarch Nicolo of Luxembourg in 1352 to punish one of the Friulian nobles who had conspired against him. For a long time incomplete, the building underwent several alterations. These interventions are already revealed in the exposed stone façade, on which at least two different construction moments can be clearly read.
- Severely damaged by an earthquake in the 1700s and then again in 1976, it was restored in the 90s trying to restore its oldest appearance.
- The Romanesque façade, with its continuous surface made up of squared stones, gives the building an aspect that is both simple and majestic, enhancing the central portal with its neoclassical lines. At the top you can still see the traces of a now buffered mullioned window, perhaps a memory of an ancient internal bell tower. The austere line continues inside, where the white of the plastered walls is interrupted only by some exposed stone elements, such as the solid columns in local conglomerate, interspersed with some neoclassical stuccoes and Ionic pillars. Inside the side aisles, divided by four arches, the altars embellished with polychrome and gilding stand out. Of the two side aisles, the one on the right bears the altarpiece of "San Giovanni Battista and the Redeemer" from 1570 by Giovanni Antonio Agostini.
- At the center of the choir stands the element of greatest artistic value, the wooden polyptych by Domenico da Tolmezzo, the greatest Friulian carver of the fifteenth century. The one located in the parish church is a copy of the original from 1448 currently preserved in the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Udine. The polyptych, which symbolically represents the prestige of the parish church, consists of a false architectural structure on two levels: in the lower level, inside golden niches, the titular saint of the parish surrounded by those of the tributary churches, including S. Lorenzo on the far right. In the upper level, the Madonna with the child flanked by four Saints is located half-length in a central position. The whole is crowned by a frame in which a triumphant Creator stands out over the world.
- 6 Saints Ilario and Taziano, via San Rocco (in Enemonzo). Archpriest church dating back to the 11th-12th century, it was renovated during the 18th century. It dominated the towns of Enemonzo and Raveo. The patronal feast is on March 16
Parish church of Castoia (Santa Maria Annunziata) in Socchieve
- 7 Santa Maria Annunziata (Parish church of Castoia) (in Socchieve). The parish church is located on the Castoia hill overlooking the town of Socchieve. The first church known on the site probably dates back to the 6th century: a small building dedicated to St. Stephen, built as the mother church of Invillino is too far away. A century later another smaller one dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel and probably a cemetery was built next to this church. Finally, around the ninth or tenth century a third church dedicated to Santa Maria dell'Angelo was built on the hill, which had the title of parish and therefore also its baptismal font. The three churches continued to exist, with numerous renovations, until July 28, 1700 when a strong earthquake damaged all three buildings. It was then decided to rebuild only the church of Santa Maria which was restored and enlarged reaching its current size. Further modifications were kept inside in the mid-19th century. In 1940, following a vow made by the population so that the Lord would save them from the "misfortunes" that loomed on the horizon, work began on the construction of the frescoes that adorn the ceiling of the nave and the cycle of saints that decorate the walls side (made by the painter Giovanni Moro, signed and dated in various places). Finally, for the jubilee of 2000, a rose window was opened in the wall of the apse overlooking the main altar, which represents Christ blessing.
- The church has three naves and a quadrangular apse. The main altar, dating back to the first half of the eighteenth century, has in the center a canvas made by Nicolò Grassi and depicting the "Madonna degli angeli"; on the sides there are two marble statues depicting Mary herself and the Archangel Gabriel (both dated 1836).
- The baptismal font, perhaps the original one of the ancient church, is located next to the main door in the right aisle; it is surmounted by a complex 19th century inlaid wooden protection that partially covers a fresco depicting the baptism of Jesus. In the same nave there is a small altar dedicated to St. Francis (which houses a 19th century wooden statue depicting the saint of Assisi), a canvas in which the Madonna surrounded by angels (dating back to the seventeenth century) and on the bottom an altar bearing a nineteenth-century painting on canvas depicting the saints Pietro, Michele and Antonio abate. In the left aisle, starting from the main entrance, you can find a nineteenth-century painting depicting St. John the Evangelist with the saints Lucia and Apollonia, a small altar with the stone statue of the virgin with the child and at the bottom an altar in which it is preserved a wooden Madonna of 1912 made by the Tyrolean sculptor Ferdinando Demetz and traditionally carried in procession during the feast of the Assumption. Next to the parish church there is the bell tower and a cemetery in use until the early twentieth century and still partially intact. At the entrance of the road that leads to the church there is a small votive shrine (called Maina in somp da Cleva) completely frescoed by Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo.
- 8 Santa Maria del Rosario (In the hamlet of Baselia di Forni di Sotto). It was initially dedicated to S. Martino in the Lombard period (VI-VII century). It dominated the municipalities of Forni di Sotto and Forni di Sopra. The current building is the result of a renovation carried out in the mid-twentieth century. The patronal feast is held on the first Sunday of October.
Pieve di Santa Maria di Gorto seen from the north
- 9 Saint Mary (in Gorto di Ovaro). A primitive basilica building, the remains of which were found in archaeological excavations near the medieval church of San Martino ad Ovaro, was built in the 4th-6th century AD. more moved towards the plain. A baptistery was also part of the complex. Following events that led to the destruction and abandonment of that cult complex, the seat of the church of Gorto was moved to the hill where the parish church currently stands, which represented a safer place.
- The earliest documentary evidence of the existence of the parish church of Gorto dates back to 1119, when it was assigned to the jurisdiction of the abbey of Moggio and the title of parish priest of Gorto was assigned to the abbot of Moggio.
- During the Middle Ages the parish was the only parish in the valley, with a territory that included the current municipalities of Ovaro, Comeglians, Prato Carnico, Rigolato, Forni Avoltri, Sappada, Ravascletto and Cercivento.
- The church has the appearance of a three-nave basilica with a square-plan presbytery, flanked by two sacristies. The current appearance of the building is due to an eighteenth-century reconstruction, but consistent traces of the previous architectural phases remain identifiable.
- A cycle of frescoes depicting the Romanesque church remains Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, visible in the current presbytery. Traces of Romanesque single lancet windows are visible on the outside of the southern wall of the church.
- The building was remodeled, under the direction of the master Simone di Mena, following the fire of 1431: on the southern wall you can see the outline of a Gothic single lancet window attributable to this intervention. During the restorations carried out after the 1976 earthquake, a gothic keystone emerged.
- Following the earthquake of the year 1700, the renovation and the contemporary enlargement of the church were carried out by the brothers Nicolò and Giovanni Battista Zamolo of Portis di Venzone starting from 1722; after these radical alterations the church has three naves separated by pillars and arches of carious dolomite.
- Inside there are three eighteenth-century altars. On the high altar (commissioned in 1762) the marble statues of the martyr saints John and Paul stand out. The right altar (commissioned in 1771) contains a nineteenth-century statue of the Virgin of the Rosary. The left altar (commissioned in 1757) contains an altarpiece depicting Saint Helena.
Zuglio - Parish church of San Pietro
- 10 Saint Peter (to Zuglio). The parish was built on the pre-existing and ancient cathedral of the diocese of Zuglio, suppressed during the eighth century.
- The church is the oldest of the 10 historic parish churches of Carnia and is considered the mother church. It is the main religious building of the Val Bût. It is mentioned for the first time in 808, when it replaced the previous basilica of Zuglio which was destroyed by the Avars.
- The current building dates back to 1312 built on pre-existing settlements and with various subsequent modifications; it was a bishopric in the Middle Ages as part of the then suppressed diocese of Zuglio.
- The church is preceded by an atrium in which you can see a Romanesque mullioned window. The sides are supported by buttresses, added at the beginning of the 16th century, when the original trussed roof was replaced by ribbed vaults.
