Works did slow due the big plague of 1,630. Therefore, the church even if frescoed by Young Palma in certain parts of the nave and some altars where already placed, still showed the presbyter vault and the apse basin unfinished. After the plague, works went on. Material had to be transported from Condino and on 1,636 the Church was finished. This way, artists and frescoers began the decorations. Bagolino’s “Cathedral”, reigns on top of the town, gathering same in a warm embrace creating a semicircle. The two ends of such semicircle are shaped by the towns of Visnà, right hand side of the church and Cvril, on the left hand side. The solid front is hut shaped decorated with simple graffiti, interrupted only by a simple triple lancet window scanned by an elegant porch formed by seven arches that give a suggestive fullness effect on the upper part and emptiness on the lower. Venetian influence may be tasted in this masterpiece. Material and labour to build the porch were provided by the Versa family. On the basement, by the left hand side of the porch, it is possible to read: Marti + Versa – F. Svo – Filiol – Da – B. There were the Versa who donated the church’s main door.

The Intern

The intern is presented by a straight barrel vault, lightened by eight semicircular windows in correspondence to the eight lateral chapels, four by side, distanced by twin pilasters that contribute to give the sensation of higher altitude, what would be missing in a church with a single barrel vault. The presbyter is also covered with a vault, but lower, concluding with a semi cylindrical apse that is showed polygonal on the outside. It provides contemporaneously a sensation of both vast and monumental, accented by the architectural squaring of Sandrini and Viviani, a sensation of sacred gathering, created by the single aisle and the high lateral niches. Typical sensations of centrality, post triple lancet windows and seventeenth- century grandeur. As a matter of fact, Bagolino belongs to the several churches build in the brescian province from ‘600 that follow the structural schemes from late ‘500 churches with single barrel vault, diffused after Trento’s Council.

The Frescoes

The frescoed vault is notice immediately, according the typical tastes and structures of the XVIII century, of which Tommaso Sandrini (1575-1630), founder of the movement of the squaring in Brescia, is the author. With extraordinary skill, succeeded to create the perfect optic illusion to double the nave’s height by including eight windows. The loggia’s columns leaned against the brackets seem to carry on with the wall pilasters, increasing the verticality sensation of the nave. Camillo Rama (1585-1630?) is the author of the frescoes included in the squaring. On the first squaring, the torture of San Vigilio, Bishop of Trento, is represented. On the second, the representation of Virgin Mary’s Glory. Both squaring are crowded by characters blocked in stereotypical attitude, always from the same author where the tragic scene of San Giorgio that kills the dragon is absolutely dynamic. The last scene: The Sacred Family, was added by Gaetano Cresseri during the restoration of 1898. It was always Rama, Young Palma’s pupil, that went on with the frescoes, remaining niches and exodus scenes located between the twin pilasters. On the first right handed niche, we find the soberest wood altar of the church, three level style, the table itself, a raised that gets together two small pictures (S. Angela Merici and blessed Versa Da Lumi) and another basement where two spiral columns are leaned against, holding an entablature decorated with three angels. The canvas, as well as the linen, S. Agostino and S. Monica with the Virgin and Child, has been always attributed to Pietro Ricchi, called Lucchese, but from deep comparison between several of his works present in Bagolino and around the province such attribution is not possible. Fappani says it may belong to Pietro Marone, to whom several characteristics are to be considered: the mannerism, typical in the Brescia area between the XVI and XVII centuries and the colours of Venetian taste. On the second right handed niche, an baroque wooden altar a picture is inserted: S. Lorenzo between S. Giovanni Battista and S. Pietro, attributed to Francesco Torbido. The altar witnesses clearly the seventeenth-century taste for the “horror vacui”, as a matter of fact there are no straight close-ups but a whole composition where even columns are decorated with floral motives, so rich that it is hard to distinguish the three angels that fake to support the portrait, the other nine angels and the three small heads included in the canvas exuberance. Exquisites characters in this braid is the man on the right hand side with wide seventeenth-century pants, the woman with a red coral necklace (typical from our peasants) on the left hand side of the lower part of the canvas. An inscription placed in the upper part reads the year 1,662 as well as the name of the author. Attributing this to Torbido wasn’t easy, in spite of Vasari’s declarations: “and made (Torbido) a table that was taken to Bagolino, land of the Brescia’s Mountain”. Maybe due a transcription mistake, mistaken the artist’s nickname, Da Pozzo attributed this piece to Battista del Moro, son in law and pupil of Torbido, nicknamed “Moro”. S. Pietro’s face, absorbed in reading is among the happiest samples of Torbido’s portrait’s, a specialty in which was particularly appreciated. This painting, warmth and lighted in colour, is dated among 1525 and 1530, mannerism cadence are not yet broken from Giulio Romano, that influenced the artist later on. Torbido was eclectic, open to several and diverse suggestions, in this portrait influences are met in the calm and tranquillity of its characters, underlined by the typical colours of the Venetian school, here the taste, with a coarse figure’s composition is provincial. On the sides of the altar, on the niche’s walls, frescoed figures of S. Geronimo and S. Ilarione appear, performing an allegory of Charity, Faith and Hope. This portrait is easily attributed to Young Palma, that also performed the frescoes on the left hand side niche (S. Anna ans S. Gioacchino, the stories of Giuditta and Oloferne). Unfortunately, the artist couldn’t accomplish such work as he died a year after the finishing of the church. Young Palma was substituted by Camillo Rama. The gorgeous Saint’s images, lightened and proportioned by Young Palma’s typical light, can not be minimally placed beside the clumsy and blocked images frescoed in the following niches. Between the second and third niche, there is a bas-relief pulpit, performing Christ that preaches to the crowd, work of an anonymous carver of the ‘600s. The piece, even if censored because of the disproportion of the characters, it’s tangle, their big heads, remembers the ingenuous freshness of Naifs work. Due tradition, the face of the Christ is the portrait of Father Borra, whom preached on the Lent of 1624. On the third niche, there is a baroque canvas: on top there are four angels that finish the linen formed by two strong and richly decorated columns. The central canvas, transported from the Church of S. Lorenzo on 1,804 and adapted to the altar (loosing it’s arched shape with the including of two strips on its sides), represents the Sacred Family with S. Rocco, S. Aniano, S. Marco and S. Sebastiano. The author is Pietro Rosa, Tiziano’s pupil. But due it’s eclecticism this portrait was attributed for a long time to several other artist’s. The scene shows S. Marco calling S. Aniano, important to observe the effective still life, represented by all tools that show a typical print of the brescian painting. On the same scene, S. Sebastiano on the right and S. Rocco on the left hand side. On top, the Sacred Family has the Tiziano’s print. On the lower part of the two columns, two small portraits: on the left hand side S. Gaetano, on the right B. Orsola, that haven’t great artistic value and probably belong to Bernardino Rossi, brescian artist of the ‘700. The plaster and marble altar from the fourth niche is simple, enriched in the higher part with two angels that point at the gravestone centred in the gable. There is also a painting representing Christ’s risen among the Saints, made by Giacomo Barbello (on the label that comes out the book on the lower left hand side reads: “G. Jacobus Barbellus Cremensis Pingebat 1643”). The light is extremely particular and becomes different from the other paintings: here is a protagonist, falls down forming draperies and figures, highlighting the pale but efficient colours of the cloaks. This demonstrate the Bologna’s School of the artist. The organ, placed in cantor’s room “in cornu epistolae”, belongs to Serassi brothers, the most important family for its organs in Lombard operating during the XVIII and XIX centuries. This organ substituted the one from the Antegnati’s (late ‘500s) that was seriously damaged from the fire of 1779.
The squaring of the apse’s vault and presbyter were made by Ottavio Viviani, after the death of the precedent artists death during the plague of 1630. Virgin’s Mary coronation was painted by Lucchese and it’s included on the baroques squaring. These frescoes were also affected by the fire and due restoration lost their solemnity and gravity. The Main Altar, masterpiece of abbot Gaspare Turbini, is majestic and graceful thanks to the antique green marble, underlined by white marble and enriched by golden bronzes (1794-1799). The wall was, as read in the lower part, donated on 1703 from the priest Andrea Buccio to the artist Andrea Celesti; represents on top the Holy Trinity and on the base S. Giorgio killing the dragon. It’s interesting the comparison between this scene and the one painted by C. Rama on the vault. On the seventeenth-century fresco, there is movement, colours are gloomy and besides the main characters there is only a gruesome touch with the skeletons lying on ground: on top the Holy Trinity and on the base S. Giorgio that doesn’t care anymore of the dragon, already injured, the typical lady of the ‘700s is not really upset for the presence of the monster and an angel holds the shield. On the background and airy and beautiful landscape, creating an almost unreal and joyful atmosphere. It’s not always on exhibition a face of an altar with eight Saints, Virgin Mary with S. Rocco and S. Antonio among floral motives. The work is conformed by rectangular shaped leather pieces sewed all together. The author is probably from the place, provided rough materials used and the ingenuous composition. A valid popular art testimony. On the fourth left hand side niche, perfectly inserted in a plaster and marble altar, there is a wooden cross. In the centre, over a gloomy ski, stands out a cross with a beautiful and proportioned figure of Christ. The cross, cured with several details, contrasts with the other statues that stand on feet by the cross, swollen faces, deformed, blocked in painful grimace, maybe to express the difference by the peace of Christ and the disturbance and passion of manhood. Such difference maybe also created by the fact that there are two diverse authors: as a matter of fact, the rough figures, stocky hands, curlier hair of the three believers, recall the trentino figures; do not get close to the perfection of Christ’s body, modelled with charm and renaissance harmony. On the cyma, there is a small portrait of Lucchese, showing S. Michele setting free the souls in purgatory. The third left hand side niche has more works: S. Luca’s Virgin, altar called also as S. Rosary, due a ball surrounded by fifteen mysteries. Walls frescoed by Young Palma. The canvas is Giacomo Faustini’s masterpiece, lower Brescia’s carver, but can’t be confronted with the work of the Boscai, most valuated and famous contemporaries. Two graceful statues supporting effortless a rich and elaborated cyma, leant against two plinths, with two angels placed side by side. The whole supported by other women statues in a forced pose or kneeling, accompanied by two carved dancing figures facing S. Luca’s Virgin image. On the centre of Gandino’s canvas, inserted in small portraits painted on the same canvas, each of them with is own frame, representing the rosary’s mysteries. On the lower part, a crowd of characters in procession among the figures of S. Domenico and S. Caterina. Legend tells the S. Luca’s Virgin portrait was taken from the castle of the Counts of Lodrone, destroyed during the Bagolino’s revolution, but the portrait kept on returning to its original position. It was only after a solemn procession that remained in the S. Giorgio’s Church. The board was designed by one of the “madonnari” (folk art by ground painting sacred themes or Virgins with coloured plaster) that once established, in Venice, handed down for centuries this kind of painting (from XIV to XIX centuries). G. Panazza places this portrait by the end of the XV century to the beginning of XVI century, describing the piece: “one of the most refined on it’s field”. The original board is uncovered every five years in solemn ceremony, the one usually exposed is only a copy.
On the second left hand side niche, transported on 1804 from S. Rocco and inserted in a simple seventeenth-century canvas. There is a linen attributed to Tintoretto, representing on top the Holy Trinity, in the centre S. Basilio surrounded by S. Sebastiano, S. Bernardo, S. Marco and S. Rocco all enlighten by the light provided by the Holy Trinity. This is a discussed portrait: Zennucchini says it belongs to Tintoretto (ordered by the local people from S. Rocco, Bagolino on 1585), Zanetti says it was began by Tintoretto and finished by Marco Pellegrino, his best pupil. Panazza says it was only Pellegrino. Probably the portrait was born under his directions and the drafts are all his. On the first left handed niche, always in a seventeenth-century canvas, there is a work of Camillo Rama. The three images of S. Carlo, S. Domenico and S. Lorenzo, live on their own on a single colour background, underlining their solitude to the most. At the wall on the end, over the main door, there is a enormous portrait (60mq), from Pietro Marone, it was originally placed by the regular canonical refectory of the parish of S. Giovanni in Brescia, was brought here on 1804 (monastery was suppressed on 1784). On this canvas there is a crystal clear influence from Veronese, to him sent the scene of the feast in an architectural atmosphere, the joyful conception, the limpid colour, the approaching of simple and natural colours.

History

After the cleaning of Pian d’Oneda, finished on 1863, due the increase in population it is a must to built a new church, on the site of the millenarian monastery of S. Giacomo, turned to be insufficient and located out hand towards the town. Decission is taken during the winter of 1873, by a group of family heads in the house of the priest. It was Mrs. Bignota widow in Scalvini who donated the lands where the church had to be erected. Project was entrusted to the architect Pellini from Varese, whom designed the church copying the Breno’s Cathedral. It was the population that supported the building by offering lime and sand enough for the brickwork of the year after. Hod carriers and bricklayers, volunteering, excavated the basements. In less than two months are high 1,20 mt with a minimum budget of 0,43 euro. Economic difficulties overcome, so to organize a collect in place and nearby towns, fruiting: Bagolino’s Blacksmith offers a cheque for 0,568 euro; Fenoli Brothers gathers offerings in larch and fir trees, needed to complete the labour; S. Giacomo’s priest renounces his salary, which is devoted to the Comission, to his provisions are the families to provide by turn. Into their possibilities the women donate the eggs, that in such difficult times have turned to be a precious exchange currency for small purchases (buttons, yarn, thread and others). Thanks to the generous and numerous offerings the church is finished by the end of 1880. To remember the works, remains an epigraph written on the vaults arcade:

ERECTIONI PERVENIT
OPTATIS AUSPICATISQUE
DIEBUS JIUBILEI EPISCOPALIS
PII PAPAE IX

The new church is still linked to the Bagolino’s parish, shall await until 1958 when thanks to an official decree from Bishop Giacinto Tredici, the church of Ponte Caffaro is elected independent church and separated from the S. Giorgio parish in Bagolino. To the autonomy of the church in Ponte Caffaro, that takes the title of S. Giuseppe’s parish, as Dionisi informs, comes assigned movable properties in the amount of 620 euro and real states such as: Canonical House and Wooden lands donated by the Bagolino’s Blacksmith.
To remember such event, the Bishop’s decree reads: “in memory of this detachment and building and out of gratitude towards the mother church of S. Giorgio in Bagolino, whom who will be the S. Giuseppe’s priest, at Ponte Caffaro, will invite the Bagolino’s priest for the day of the patron saint or in any other solemn party to celebrate Mass and sing the Vespers.

The Intern

Keeps Trainini’s frescoes that decorates the presbyter and the vault’s medallions and a canvas of Josephus Salviatus (G. Porta) that represents the Virgin and Child.

It’s registered that in Ponte Caffaro, on the top of the Palus road, there was a little church devoted to S. Valentino, protector against the malicious fevers that infested the area. During the second part of the XVII century the church was still on. An estimation over Pian d’Oneda on 1674 provides the measures and chart of the church, 11x6 arms, and sacristy, 7x6 arms. Fappani recalls the will of Francesco Vincenzo Franzoni, called Gogella – July 1705, where it states to donate 100 trones to S. Valentino, which is under construction. After a flooding in Ponte Caffaro, happened on 1840, the little church is destroyed. S. Valentino’s cult is transferred to S. Giacomo’s chapel, nowadays used as sacristy.

History

S. Giacomo’s Hermitage is situated on the ancient regal road that leads to Trentino and is presented nowadays as an unusual old time’s portrait. It’s antique. Founded towards the tenth century, together with a pilgrim’s hostel by the S. Pietro’s Benedictines from Mount Orsino of Serle, that had the task to clear up the area. The church is full of history due it’s location, built on the boundaries was usually centre of violent fights and contend between Bagolino and Counts of Lodrone, that as Lords of the place, demanded possession of Pian d’Oneda, where the church raises. S. Giacomo represented large importance for Trento’s diocese during the thirteenth century, that in the person of Bishop Venga requested believers with indulgence to obtain charity and assistance to restore the church and the hostel. Bagolino’s citizens did care for the church maintenance and paid every Sunday a priest to celebrate Mass in S. Giacomo. The Municipality entrusted a local person to administrate the church and annexed properties, including the hostel. Hereunder, some of the events that involved S. Giacomo’s Church:

July 24, 1475: People from Lodrone bring their own priest to celebrate Mass and people from Bagolino is taken by arquebus. The day later, S. Giacomo’s festivity, the ones from Bagolino show up with arms in hands and the Counts must leave.

July 25, 1476: Counts of Lodrone try to obstruct the celebrations of the patron saint festivities: Bagolino’s people arrive with three hundred armed men, but the Lodroni have already left.

April 16, 1477: Serenissima orders, with a fine of a thousand ducats to Bagolino and two thousand ducats to Lodrone, to finish fights and execution among contenders.

Year 1520: To allow the festivity of the patron, Counts of Lodrone pretend from the Municipality the amount of 60 ducats, Bagolino refuses. The Counts arrive in S. Giacomo injuring a landlord and his wife. Venetian Republic, informed of this fact, orders embargo and forbids the Counts the passage on its land. Counts are constricted to arrive to negotiation with Bagolino.

July 28, 1535: The Municipality, remarking the political and religious importance of the S. Giacomo’s church, arrives to impose salty fines to whom wouldn’t participate in the patron’s festivity.

August 5, 1535: Counts of Lodron stab Giovanni Ambrosi from Bagolino in the hostel.

Year 1569: Not only the representative of each family had to carry their own weapons, but it is the Municipality that chooses every year the “bosses for S. Giacomo’s Festivity” and other men that are given weapons, that in 1569 where: three pole arms, five arquebus and a shotgun. Most were elected to carry the flag “when drums played”.

February 16, 1636: Trento’s Bishop E. Madruzzo forbid, due political and administrative reasons, to celebrate Mass in S. Giacomo is removed.

People from Bagolino kept on frequenting their church that even on the second part of the nineteenth century hosted regularly, until the building of the church of S. Giuseppe in Ponte Caffaro, a parish assistant devoted to celebrate Mass, confess, baptism, Christian preaching and scholastic instruction.

The Outside

The millenarian church is presented with a hut style front and a three arcade portico, added on 1600, that still keeps traces of old frescoes. On the outside of the porch there is a big S. Cristoforo while, in the centre, there was a winged lion as a Venice symbol. The bell tower, from the second part of the nineteenth century, six meters high, substitutes the older one, only three meters high, that wouldn’t allow the sound of the bells to arrive all inhabitants.

The Intern and Major masterpieces

From the original church construction, at single nave, keeps the apse and steps that take down to the ex chapel, devoted to the S. Valentino’s cult, nowadays a sacristy. The nave, with the truss – beam roof supported by two arches, collect a rain of light from the windows that run high along the walls of the church. The inside, bare and suggestive within its simplicity, keeps closed in the apse’s wooden altar a precious canvas, now in the parish of Ponte Caffaro, single masterpiece that remains in the brescian territories from the artist Josephus Salviatus (G. Porta). The portrait, representing the Virgin and Child, the Saints Marco, Filippo, Valentino and Jacopo, was bought by Bagolino’s Municipality on 1568.

Left Altar

Devoted to S. Luca’s Virgin, kept a paint, now placed in the Main Altar, represented in thaumaturgic copy Bagolino’s Virgin. The couple, painted at the beginning of the seventeenth – century for the Bagolino’s Convent and it’s work of Raminca (local artist). This portrait escaped to the sacking suffered by the Convent during the Cisalpina’s time. Was donated to the church of S. Giacomo on 1860 by de descendants of M. Dagni, called “Scagn”, that in the meantime had taken possess.

History

The church of S. Lorenzo, once chapel of the old cemetery, keeps from its primitive construction the apse and remains of two Gothic windows, now walled. Was destroyed several times by fires (1779, 1915): has been restored recently preserving the structures given on the restoring of 1924.

The Intern

The first altar on the right has an Itaglaini’s canvas representing the torture of S. Lucia. On the second one, S. Antonio Ridolfi’s abbot can be appreciated. In front there is the most famous portrait of A. Moreschi, artist of Bagolino of the 1600). Nativity is a copy of the Savoldo’s one, kept in the Brescia’s art gallery. On the first left hand side niche, there is another Moreschi’s canvas representing Jesus introduced to the temple. In the left hand side door, now walled, there is a lunette coming from the church of Adamino, that represents the same offering family from the little church to the Virgin. Anonymous is the apse’s shovel, enclosed in a rich canvas, with the Virgin between S. Giuseppe and S. Lorenzo. From all other portraits, the author (s) is unknown.

History

The most antique part of the church is the presbyter that encloses a cycle of frescoes belonging to Pietro da Cemmo. The legend says this was build over the remains of an Etruscan temple. The whole body of the church was included by devotion to S. Rocco after the plague of 1577. The statue representing the Saint is kept in the homonym board and is exposed only in August, the day of S. Rocco.

The Intern

The altar of S. Genaro encloses a Cacetti’s canvas, Bologna’s artist. On the front niche there is a portrait of Anna Baldissera representing S. Carlo Borromeo with the Saints Giovita and Faustino. S. Rocco’s board is composed by different epochs elements. The Immaculate’s linen belong to Clemente Bodrdiga, a Bagolin’s artist lived in 1600. It’s quite interesting the vision of the town between the Saints Rocco and Francesco. The torture of S. Stefano belongs to Itaglaini. S. Antonio abbot’s statue is from the XV century and belongs to Zamara.

The Frescoes of G. Pietro da Cemmo
(comment by prof. Ginevra Zanetti)

Once arriving to the church of S. Rocco, do not hurry to admire the single portraits. Reflect for a while, at the middle of the naves, keep attention with a single glance the whole architectonic and pictorical complex from the artistic presbyter, it’s all a surprise to discover. It’s only this way that the suggestive spectacular aspect of such fifteenth-century Gothic construction appears as an open curtain over an immense scene, where are represented in perfect figurative shape and logic connection, the two main historical events that manhood redeemed: Annunciation and Crucifixion. On the right hand side of the entrance arc there is a painting of the Virgin Announced (Mater Dei); on the left hand side the Gabriel archangel announcing (Procurator Dei). On the figure of the Announced, there are clear prints of Pollaiolo, from Piero della Francesca, Filippo Lippi. In that of the archangel it’s amazing the influence of Sandro Botticelli. On top of the entrance arc, it may yet be seen the principal character of Redemption: The Eternal Father. A little bit lower, half visible figures of angels and profets. Prospecting the Incarnation mystery, prelude to Redemption’s mystery, the theologian artist painted astounding figures of Sibyls, inspired in portraits of the most illustrious ladies of the Italian princely families of the time.
Painting these prophetess of the pagan world, Di Cemmo wanted to represent the universality of the awaiting for the Redeemer Messiah. On the four open sail’s vault, site over a starry light blue background and surrounded by angels, the solemn figures of the four Evangelists; on the plumes are painted the symbols of each of them, and the four doctors of the Western Church: S. Gerolamo, S. Ambrogio, S. Agostino and S. Gregorio Magno. The Evangelists, as historians of the New Testament, constitute an ideal, connected with Annunciation (Prologue’s Mystery) and the grand Crucifixion, that occupies the whole back wall, represents the Epilogue’s Mystery: the Redemption, seen by the theologian artist as centre of manhood history. An immense crowd, constituted by the most varied and different people but harmonious in the complex, is painted over the background of the Calvary to symbolize it was due the Cross Sacrifice that the Mystical Body of the Church was born, in which everyone keeps it’s own individuality.
Some figures express prints of Massicio; in the scene of the horses, similarity to the ones of Paolo Uccello and Andrea Castagno. On the lateral walls there are painted the main episodes of S. Rocco and S. Sebastiano lifes. This suggestive pictorical complex hidden for about three centuries, due arbitrary placement of big eye-catching linen, but with no great value, has been lucky valuated from the wise restoring performed from 1956 to 1958 by the professor Ottemi Dalla Rotta.