Venzone

Places to discover

The Geography of Faith

From the south gate, we take via degli Alpini, following the ancient road we then arrive at the Church of Ss. Anna and Giacomo, which probably dates back to the 10th-11th centuries, that is, to the time when the practice of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia was spreading.

An attached hermitage documented in 1336, of which the remains can still be seen today, was annexed to the church. There have been several renovations over the centuries, up to the one in 1525 when the porch was added to the church. The bell gable is characteristic.

The frescoes inside are from the 14th century, of the Vitalesque culture, while the two bas-reliefs depicting St. Peter and St. Paul are from before 1300. In the presbytery, one can admire the cycle of frescoes of the Vitalesque school with the Annunciation on the back wall, while on the sides is the Theory of the Apostles and on the vault the Blessing Christ with the Evangelists. The small single-lancet window next to the altar belongs to the primitive church (10th-11th century).

After a brief stop, we head towards the path that will lead us to the Church of St. Catherine, of 15th-century origins, located on a terrace at the foot of Mount Bedede in front of the ancient Celtic path coming from Gemona. In the churchyard was located the cemetery of the plague victims, in front of the portal is the tomb of the parish priest of Venzone, Felice Tavoschi, who died in 1855 of the Asiatic disease.

Inside, on the right, one can admire a fresco depicting the Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine of Alexandria (early 1400s) while on the left there are in series two banners with images of St. Catherine and St. Anthony Abbot and a wooden sculpture of St. Catherine with the wheel of martyrdom, at her feet is Maximus Daja, her persecutor (a copy of a 15th-century sculpture).

Then crossing the Venzonassa stream on a spur of Mount Plauris we find the Church of St. Anthony Abbot; a church of 14th-century origins, located at 852 m above sea level. An attached hermitage documented in 1358 was annexed to the church. In the presbytery, there is an important cycle of frescoes depicting the theory of the Apostles on the side walls, St. Anthony of Padua in the back lunette, and four stories of the life of St. Anthony Abbot and St. Peter the Hermit on the barrel-vaulted ceiling. The frescoes are attributed to Gaspare Negro and dated around 1530.

Beyond the bridge over the Venzonassa, we find the remains of the Church of St. Clare formerly of St. Mary and the former convent of the Poor Clares, a church of 13th-century origins, located a few dozen meters from the city walls, it was annexed until 1686 to the ancient Hospital of St. Mary (founded in 1261), later transformed into a convent of the Poor Clares which was suppressed in 1806 under Napoleonic rule. Here we find Palazzo Marzona and Palazzo Marpillero, 16th-century noble buildings, in particular, the first bears on the southern facade a double sundial from the 18th century.

Along the Roman road route of Julia Augusta stands the Church of St. Lucia, of 14th-century origins. The external masonry structures are the remains of the works, interrupted in 1917, for the construction of a new presbytery. The sculpture of St. Lucia is a copy, made in 1900, of the original from the late 15th century belonging to the school of Domenico da Tolmezzo.

In the star-shaped cross-vaulted ceiling of the presbytery are depicted the four Fathers of the Latin Church and the four Evangelists. On the two side walls of the presbytery, fragments of frescoes of the twelve consecration crosses from the 14th and 19th centuries have appeared.

Other points of interest of:
Chiese e Cappelle votive