Church of Sant’Antonio Abate

A 15th-century place of worship in Graticelle

Among the houses of Graticelle is a small and beautiful church dedicated to the patron saint Sant’Antonio Abate. The current building, resulting from multiple extensions and renovations, has its original nucleus in a 15th-century oratory.

This can be seen, after passing through the 18th-century entrance door, in the squat medieval column supporting the corner of the bell tower recessed into the nave and just beyond, on the left, in the two precious frescoes of San Lucia and the Enthroned Madonna with Baby Jesus.

On the opposite side, it is possible to admire further evidence of primitive decorations, namely the splendid fresco of an Imago Pietatis (Image of Pity), with a prayer written thickly in late Gothic characters on the front of the sepulchre, dated 1511. The expressiveness of the oration refers to the extraordinary document in a parchment codex found in Bovegno, of a 14th-century Passio Christi, a poetic chant of the Passion of Christ in ancient dialectal idiom.

The nave opens into the two side chapels and the presbytery, with the painting of the high altar framed by a precious wooden soasa by Prospero Calabrese from Pralboino.

There are also valuable carvings by Faustino Bonomi from Avenone, Carlo Lancelotti from Inzino and most probably  Marchiondo Bonomino from Bione.