Many churches, convents, and parishes tell the religious life of Serramazzoni. Starting from the center it’s possible to visit the church of the Holy Crucifix, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompeii, the Franciscan Convent, every hamlet has its own religious building built in the distant past, and often it contains artworks showing religiosity that characterized the ancient population of the villages .
Serramazzoni – Church of the Holy Crucifix
The first stone was laid on April 16, 1898. It was blessed by the archpriest of Ligorzano Don Annibale Corfini. The inhabitants contributed with money, material and with their work to reach the conclusion of the church. It was inaugurated on May 7, 1899, feast of Our Lady of Pompeii with a big crowd and important celebrations. The devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Serramazzoni has always been very strong and the oratory was dedicated to her, namely inside it was kept a painting depicting Her even before the work was started. For the Inauguration day the beautiful image on canvas of the Madonna was brought triumphantly and it was placed at the center of the apse of the oratory. After that it was built a rectory and the oratory was enlarged on May 31st. In 1942 the Archbishop of Modena Mnss. Cesare Boccoleri entitles the new parish Mary SS.Regina of SS. Rosario in Serramazzoni. Don Francesco Gavioli, first pastor, was appointed on August 2nd, 1942. Serramazzoni had become in a few decades from a small village to a town. Because of that it was impossible to enlarge the horatory and that was no longer enought to contain the population so it is thought to build a new church The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompeii.
Serramazzoni – Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompeii
July 25, 1943 were laid the foundations of a new church, the blessing and the laying of the first stone was given by the Archbishop of Modena Mnsr. Cesare Boccoleri during his first visit to the new parish of Serramazzoni. The sanctuary, although it was incomplete, was inaugurated by the Archbishop Giuseppe Amici on the evening of July 26, 1964 during the annual festival of Our Lady of Pompeii. On that occasion the Holy Image of Our Lady of Pompeii, painted in 1944 by Mother Clotilde Calvi, with a solemn procession was moved from the Church of Holy Crucifix to the Sanctuary that was dedicated to Her. Later, the Sanctuary was enriched with the laying of the marble floor, the Main altar, the benches, and the confessional; the work of embellishment continued both with Don Marino Donini and Don Marco Denisiuk that use two local artists: Prof Romano Pelloni and the painter Gianni Cuoghi. The one is the creator of the Via Crucis in ceramics, the stained glass windows and sculptures of the tympanum of the facade; the other painted three large oil paintings whose subjects are the Nativity, the Baptism of Christ, and the Sacred Heart.
Ligorzano: Church was dedicated to SS. Ippolito and Cassiano
The oldest existing church,in the twelfth century, is reduced to a private building in Villabassa recognizable an eighteenth-century church, now converted into a chapel with an adjoining civil building. September 4th, 1898 the work of construction of the new church began and it finished in 1905. It was dedicated to SS. Ippolito and Cassiano, outside neo-gothic and inside has three naves with apses. The organ was built by the organ builders Agati of Pistoia. The organ case was painted by Domenico Costi, paid back with free food and accommodation . In front of the church of Ligorzano, there is a convent that houses the religious order Sisters of Addolorata
Rocca Santa Maria: Romanesque Church of Rocca S.Maria
It is considered one of the oldest and most striking examples of Romanesque in Emilia-Romagna.
Since 1038 it belonged to the Marquis Boniface of Tuscany and then to his daughter Matilde of Canossa, who gave it in 1108 to the bishop of Modena. Now remains the central apse, with traces of hanging arches, which liturgical orientation east, toward the rising sun whose light is a metaphor of divine grace. The interior is simple and majestic, with three naves, has a charm collected and solemn, with wide arches that rest on four columns and half low and powerful. The beautiful capitals dating to the eleventh century, pre-Romanesque or early Romanesque, are decorated with intertwining plants, with leaves and stylized flowers, ribbons and scrolls, and are considered among the finest in northern Italy. The base of the second column has the right corner guards carved with animal heads – lion, goat, bear, griffon – symbolizing evil crushed by the Church. The pillar on the left of the main altar preserves an ancient tabernacle, carved and adorned with the symbols of a eucharistic chalice and stylized ears.
Montagnana: Church was dedicated to St. Andrew
In Montagnana the church was dedicated to St. Andrew and was built in 1859. It incorporated an older building of 1635 which, in turn, took the place of a chapel. The misery of these places is testified by the fact that the bishop Rangoni thoght, during a pastoral visit in 1635, the chapel seemed a stable and ordered the construction of a more decent one. Montagnana has a relic of considerable value that is the oldest bell in Modena area that carries the inscription “Year of Our Lord 1262. Not far away on via Giardini is the church of the Resistance, built in 1965 to commemorate the participants in the partisan struggle of the years 1943-45.
Pazzano: Church was dedicated to SS. John and Paul
The church stands on a grassy plateau placed at the foot of Monte of Monfestino. The church was built from 1725 and dedicated to Saints John and Paul, martyrs in Rome. The patron saints are depicted in a valuable painting, from the late ‘600 located in the apse and restored to its original appearance . The interior, decorated at the end of ‘800 with simple motifs, consists of a wide nave and four small side chapels. On the right stands the bell tower with a square base with belfry. The church and the bell tower were consecrated in 1915. The altar is dedicated to St. Joseph.
Valle: Church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel
The church, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, was built in 1572 and rebuilt in May of 1868 according to the project of ing Antonio Vandelli. It has rectangular plan, in “Tuscan style” with three altars: the main one and two others dedicated to s. Anthony of Padova and the other to Madonna of SS. Rosario. Inside there is an organ, recently restaurated and usually played for a traditional concert in July. The bell tower houses four bells of Brighenti Foundry in Bologna.
Granarolo: Church dedicated to St. Urban Pope.
The parish church of Granarolo dates back to 1834 and it is dedicated to St. Urban Pope.
Guido Cavani (a famous writer) says: The church, built on a grassy plateau enclosed by a low wall of stones, was an old building ruined by time, the walls had large cracks that go down from the roof to the foundation. It is well understood that, rather than stay up by itself, it was held together by large iron rods bolted into the walls and other temporary means masonry. The pastor to hide all those flaws, had made whitewash in and out, even if it was bad, it was at least clean. So white,in the midst of all that green, it was visible from every point on the horizon. A few meters away stands the bell tower of the church a little taller, better preserved, but so stocky that looked like a puppet to which the roof was like an hat, the two side windows were the eyes and the window median, wider than high, could be the mouth.
Riccò: Church is dedicated to San Lorenzo
In the twelfth century was already home to the parish and the church, which no longer exists, perhaps dated back to 1316. With the construction of the Via Vandelli, in 1775 the parish seat and administration was moved over the river ”Tiepido”, towards Farneta, where an ancient village stood. In that place there was an oratory dedicated to San Lorenzo, which is the current church, and a fifteenth-century tower, part of a massive fortress of Count Balugola. The Bell Tower was initially a rectangular plan and roughly plastered. It was raised in 1927 and in1928 the four bells were consecrated, finally in 1993 the tower was restored and led to the current splendour.
San Dalmazio: church is dedicated to St. Dalmazio Bishop Martyr
The first information about the local church are dated back to1065. The church, dedicated to St. Dalmazio Bishop and Martyr, has undergone major changes and restructuring until the 80s of the last century. The bell tower, built in 1718, located a short distance from the building and has a high octagonal spire.
Monfestino: Church was dedicated to SS. Faustino and Giovita
The medieval church, next to the castle, was built in 1304. It is dedicated to Saints Faustino and Giovita with gabled facade and vaulted arches portal, which preserves interesting furnishings and paintings. There are two ports: the main one in travertine and a smaller, placed to the side of the church and built with common and smooth stone. Inside it is visible a recent painting of San Simeon Stylites, protector of the campers. On the way to Serramazzoni there is the Oratory of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which dates back at least to the early eighteenth century and was renovated in 1925.
Selva: Church was dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin
In the documents of the twelfth century Selva is referred to as ” Silva de Ula” or “Silva de Virola” there was namely an ancient forest of oak trees, donated by the Bishop of Modena in 1131 to the Benedictine monks of St. Peter who deforested it to build a church and a small convent. The parish church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin was built in 1865, replacing the older one. It was Restored in a classic style after the earthquake of 1920.
Pompeano: Church, dedicated to St. Geminiano
The church is shaped basilica and had three altars inside the main one and other two dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua and that of Our Lady of the Rosary. At the entrance of the village of Pompeano there is an oratory dedicated to San Rocco, built in 1796 at the request of the community that was increasingly uncomfortable going to the church on the rocks, which was then closed in the 60s of the last century because of the poor conditions of the roof. After thirty years of forced abandonment, thanks to the economic support of various organizations and private companies, the Church of San Geminiano, the bell tower and rectory were undergoing major restoration work that started in 1996 and completed in 2009. The Oratory of San Rocco was restored by the Parish Pompeano in 1986.
In the resort Roncovecchio there is a chapel built in 1824 and rebuilt in 1938 dedicated to the Virgin Mary
Faeto: Church, dedicated to SS. Filippo e Giacomo
Faeto is mentioned twice in the historical archive of Modena from the years 1001 to 1013. By a popular tradition, five families from Ferrara, about the year 1400, went up on the mountain “Faget” (name due to an ancient beech forest existed up recently). In 1540 the inhabitants of Faeto fabricated at their expense a chapel dedicated to the Holy Apostles Philip and James, who fell into ruin but was rebuilt in 1609. The first chaplain was Don Giovanni Battista Casolari(1609) to which succeeded each other seven priests as chaplain. On 30 August 1816 the chapel was built in the parish church with a pastor, Don Giacomo Casolari until 1819. He was succeeded by eight priests until 1941. Don Antonio Lumare is the eleventh priest of Faeto the first non-resident. The church was built in 800. In the sacristy retains a copy of the evangelists of Guercino.
Varana churches: Varana Sassi, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and Campodolio dedicated to miraculous Our Lady of Grace.
There are two ancient churches: Varana Sassi, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and Campodolio, built between 1861 and 1880, dedicated to the miraculous Our Lady of Grace. It hosts a collection of votive tablets of modest art, small offerings to God, to the Virgin Mary or the patron saint, as a sign of an oath or for graces received; they represent a form of spontaneous popular devotion that has ancient origins.