The parish church of Gainago, dedicated to San Giovanni Battista, is situated in the homonymous hamlet of the municipality of Torrile. A document certifies its existence as early as 1114 when it belonged to the abbey of San Giovanni Evangelista di Parma.

The church became a plebeian church in 1298, when Cardinal Gherardo Bianchi, in order to make the church of his native town worthy of the title conferred on it by the Pope, had it transformed into a Romanesque style temple in the square bell tower, in the apse and finally transferring a baptismal font.

To the right of the building stands the rectory, from the center of which stands the bell tower built of brick with large mullioned windows in the belfry. The facade is in neo-Romanesque style with salient, while the portal is framed by a round arch.

At the center of the facade a large rose window decorated with radiating columns lets light into the nave. The terracotta tile placed outside, on the left side of the church, is a very “primitive” figure that should represent the Good Shepherd.

Proceeding beyond the tile, you arrive at the back of the church where you can see the semicircular apses dating from the twelfth century: the central one is very beautiful, larger, crowned by corbels and with two splayed single lancet windows.

The interior, completely plastered, hides the original medieval structure of the church. The central nave is dominated by barrel vaults, while on the sides there are two chapels built in addition only in 1744. In 1930 some remains of rare examples of Romanesque painting were discovered: The Three Marys at the Sepulchre.

CATEGORIA
Plain parish churches
INDIRIZZO
Località Gainago
43030 Torrile
Italia