The Pieve di Contignaco stands in a panoramic position south of Salsomaggiore on the opposite side of the valley furrowed by the Ghiara torrent, on which stands the homonymous castle.

Solidly built in sandstone blocks, it was deeply renovated between 1781 and 1789 to adapt it to the baroque canons, with the construction of the vaults on the aisles and the laying of plasters and frames.

The façade of the parish church has a double sloping profile and a portal, above which the “Madonna col Bambino”, a sculpture probably dating back to the 14th century, is preserved inside a niche. The square bell tower rises on the southern side and a small mullioned window opens in the middle of the façade.

Inside, the parish church has a basilica plan with a nave and two aisles, divided into three bays by arches without ridges on square pillars without capitals. The only exception is the pillar on the left, cylindrical and provided with a bevelled cube capital.

The parish church has managed to recover the austerity and sobriety typical of the Romanesque style, thanks to significant restorations started in 1954, thus bringing out the original stone masonry in square blocks of careful workmanship, which can be appreciated today both outside and inside the structure.

In the chapel at the base of the bell tower were found fragments of frescoes painted around the middle of the fifteenth century, now partly detached and distributed in various parts of the church. In the chapel there remains an Announcing Angel, in the presbytery there is Christ in almond with St. John the Baptist while in the left aisle there are the Crucifixion and figures of angels and saints. On the first pillar, entering on the right, there is a votive fresco of Saint Lucy dated 1517.

Previously dedicated to Saint Mary, today it is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

CATEGORIA
Hillside parish churches
INDIRIZZO
Località Contignaco, 43039 Salsomaggiore Terme PR
Contignaco