The Parish Church of San Biagio, in Talignano, is situated on top of a hill overlooking the Natural Park of the Carrega Woods.
The first evidence of the presence of the church dates back to the “Rationes” of 1230, where it appears as ”tenima ecclesiarum que sunt sub Monasterio S. Roberti de ultra montes- Tenth monasterii de Rochetta in plebe Bardoni… Ecclesie S. Blasii de Talognano… in plebe colliculi”.
The Rocchetta monastery, to which reference is made, is located halfway between Bardone and Fornovo. The building externally looks like a typically Romanesque structure, with a hut-shaped facade, covered with strips of bricks and stones. The lunette above the portal depicts the “psychostasis” or the weighing of the souls of the deceased before entering the afterlife, the fulcrum of the scale is supported on the left by the Archangel Michael, symbol of Good, and on the right by the devil, symbol of Evil.
The church is developed in a single nave, with the main portal facing west, while the presbytery apse is facing east. The parish church is dedicated to San Biagio. Little is known about the life of this Saint, but his martyrdom is well known. He was captured by the Romans and flayed alive with iron combs, usually used for carding wool, and finally was beheaded for refusing to deny his Christian faith.
Sala Baganza
