Pieve di Madregolo

The Parish Church of San Martino is located in Madregolo (“vicus matriculus”, a lean, marshy village, as opposed to “vicus fertilis”), in the municipality of Collecchio, not far from the River Taro Park.

Originally there must have been two churches: there was a parish church that was probably located near the Taro and was destroyed by a flood of the river (this church was located in the “Garfagnana”, “grifagna land”). At this point the title of parish church passed to Madregolo and the church was moved from the banks of the Taro (before 1193). Only a few Romanesque capitals remain of the ancient parish church, which still adorn the second floor of the bell tower.

The capitals are decorated with figures of birds, sirens and symbols of the evangelists. The façade of the parish church is entirely covered with river stones and bricks, and has angular pilasters, a triangular pediment and three single lancet windows (one of which is closed).

The entrance portal is covered with a stone frame with an upper lunette, above it there is a round niche flanked by two windows. In the rear part emerges the primitive Romanesque masonry with squared stones. The bell tower is divided into three levels; in the four corners of the second are inserted four capitals of the thirteenth century, depicting the evangelists, from the parish church of Garfagnana. Inside, the nave is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes.