Pieve di Petrignacola

The Pieve di Petrignacola is situated on the slopes of Mount Cervellino, in the homonymous village surrounded by several houses built in local stone, which was also used to build the church and its portals.

It is hypothesized that the name of the village derives from the Latin “petrigna colo”, that is, I work the stones. Not much remains of the original building due to a landslide that destroyed it in 1500, so it was rebuilt in the 17th century.

Of the ancient parish church remains a particular sandstone portal of the XII century, placed at the base of the bell tower. The round archivolt is surmounted by two steps on each side culminating in a central pentagonal cusp, containing the depiction of an asyline cross and two human faces with two-pointed bishop’s headgear.

Inside the first step of the portal there are two stylized halberd-pointed lilies, while inside the second one there are geometric figures in relief.

Externally the church has a gabled façade, plastered, devoid of decorations and characteristic architectural elements, with a simple central stone portal surmounted by a small window.

The bell tower, with a square base and in exposed stone, rises in correspondence of the graft of the apse.

Inside the church has a single nave, covered by a barrel vault.

Outside, placed behind the apse, there is a presumed baptismal font in stone decorated with engravings of which there are no certain sources.

The church is dedicated to St. Michael.