The Pieve di Varone stands on the slopes of Mount Canate, not far from Pellegrino Parmense, along the road that leads to Salsomaggiore.
Sober and elegant, the small parish church turns its stone façade towards the valley of Pellegrino.
Belonging to the diocese of Piacenza, it had the chapels of S. Lorenzo di Besozzola, S. Michele di Camurata, S. Maria di Costa, S. Abdon di Pellegrino and the Ecclesia di Santa Cristina, mentioned in the bull of Innocent III in 1199.
The first written testimonies of the parish church date back to the 14th century, in an act concerning the election of the archpriest Bernardo Quattromini, which took place on 6th May 1349 by the Chapter gathered in the chapel of Saints Abdon and Sennen of Pellegrino castle.
The ancient medieval parish church was located further upstream than the present one, near the Pettenati house. At the beginning of the eighteenth century it was abandoned following a landslide that sent it into ruin, until the construction of the new church, blessed in 1785, maintaining the ancient dedication to St. John the Baptist.
The facade, although in neoclassical style, is without plasterwork and has exposed stone. Above the portal you can see what was probably the keystone of the arch that supported the ancient portal, on which is depicted a cross with patent arms inserted within a circle.
Inside there are some pieces of furniture, a column and the stoup belonging to the ancient parish church, which recently emerged from the landslide.
On the altar there is also a canvas, coming from the chapel of the Castle of Pellegrino, which represents the saints Abdon and Sennen, the martyred Persian brothers.
The church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
43047 Varone
