Just three kilometers from the town, on the provincial road that goes up to Schignano, stands the most interesting church in Argegno. A true sixteenth-seventeenth century jewel transformed from a votive shrine dedicated to the Virgin into a church thanks to a popular vote in times of plague. The ancient attribution to the Madonna del Gelpio is remembered by the original and precious painting that depicts her, kept inside the refined altar with a frontal made of polychrome scagIola. Externally the church, covered with a pitched roof and stone slab covering, has a quadrangular bell tower while the facade is preceded by a simple portico that overlooks a green area bordered by a stone wall. The interior, with a single nave with side chapels, presents an environment rich in prestigious decorations; worthy of note is the cycle of frescoes by the artist Isidoro Bianchi (Campione 1602 – 1662) which decorates the presbytery and illustrates stories from the life of the Madonna; the dominant painting in the central vault depicts her triumph with the Assumption into Heaven. Filling the church with further wonder are the stucco decorations of the nave and chapels: from the Angels to the large stucco statues of Joachim and Anna there is a whole movement of decorations that reach the side chapels of Sant'Anna and Sant'Antonio a truly valuable technique which is hypothesized to be the result of G. Battista Barberini (17th century), a native of Laino, assisted by other talented plasterers from Intelve. In Argegno the tradition of the procession of Sant'Anna is still alive: on 26 July numerous faithful come to the ceremony on foot along the old mule track which from the historic center of Argegno climbs steeply along the right bank of the Telo dotted with small religious shrines.
For more information also visit:
- OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF ARGEGNO: http://www.comune.argegno.co.it/c013011/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/10
- WALK TO THE CITY: http://www.camminacitta.it/argegno-citta/lungo-lantica-via-per-s-anna/tappa-3-dalla-localita-borgo-santantonio-alla-chiesa-di-s-anna/
