on 25 April, the day dedicated to St Mark and the Liberation, it was traditional to go in procession to the church of San Martino. 

The church of San Martino has early medieval origins.

It is oriented towards the equinoctial sunrise and dedicated to the holy bishop of Tours, held in high esteem in Carolingian times.

For years, the church has been closed to the public, it has even been deconsecrated and the bell, cast by Gregorio Quadrio of Ponte in Valtellina in 1591 and donated by Gianluigi Pergola, has been removed.

Despite this, the people of Bianzone maintain a strong bond with this sacred place on the border with Villa di Tirano, in the area where the village originally stood. Memories are still alive in the older people of the celebrations for St. Gotthard:

At the beginning of May, a mass dedicated to St Gotthard was celebrated in St Martin's Church. In the churchyard there were stalls and it was an important feast especially for children, who could enjoy, at least for a day, the sight of many toys and in some cases there was even the possibility of taking at least one of them home. 

The typical sweet of this feast was the red pipe.

Every year, to enhance this sacred property, a nativity scene is set up in the ossuary of the 18th-century structure, now totally bare, once completely painted. Among the various depictions was a goat symbolising the devil, which parents resorted to in order to strike fear into their children if they came home late at night.

The interior of the church, with a single nave covered with several vaults, is bare. Traces of 18th-century painting remain on the left wall where the St. Gotthard altar was placed, in the presbytery and especially in the sacristy. Here, the image of St. Martin on horseback cutting the cloak to cover the poor is still clearly visible.

In the second half of the 1970s it was the subject of major restoration work strongly desired by the then parish priest Don Virginio Zubiani who wanted to reopen it for worship. The roof of the church and ossuary, replaced the stained glass windows, placed the ducting, painted the facade main, repaired the gate, The deteriorated concrete fountain was removed and replaced by the current one. fontanelle embedded in the churchyard wall. Inside, the cornice e the electrical system and the stone slabs had been prepared to remake the floor which were then placed by parish priest Don Bruno Rocca.

Despite all these works, the Church of St. Martin was never reopened.

Its brightness, acoustics and location accessible by car, on foot and by bicycle make it a potentially suitable place for visitors.

quoted from:

• book ‘When Fireflies Flew - Volume 2’ by Vanda Cerveri
• Bianzone tra vigne, chiese, palazzi e antiche contrade‘ guide by Gianluigi Garbellini

Photo of 11 April 2026

L'articolo LA CHIESA DI SAN MARTINO: UN LUOGO CHIUSO CHE HA DIRITTO DI RIOTTENERE IL RICONOSCIMENTO CHE MERITA proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

With its more than five hundred years of history, suspended between the nostalgia of a distant past and the impetus towards an uncertain future, the Palazzetto Besta looks at us and tells the story of a country, unchanging in appearance, but in reality palpitating with the voices and emotions of its people.

The passions and anxieties of a community manifest themselves and become evident in its art and traditions, monuments, customs and language, leaving a visible and sometimes infinite imprint.

Rediscovering a past that belongs to us, recognising those common roots that identify the Bianzone community, It is a way of proceeding towards the future with the wisdom of a baggage that comes from afar, without which mistakes already made will be renewed. Such is the power and value of memory, which allows us to proceed free of prejudice towards a world where different cultures mingle, without the false fear of losing one's identity and aware that change, evolution, and openness to other peoples and individuals have always been necessary to history.

The real beauty of the palace comes from its past, from the centuries of history with which it is imbued and by the people who have shaped its history. It is from this history that the little palace draws its value and prepares to be reborn. Accompanied by the noble model of the ancient dwelling, this volume proposes itself as a humble attempt not to lose the common past of our country, to bring back to light news, data, testimonies. The first step in a work that does not claim to be exhaustive, but has the hope of stimulating knowledge, available to those who, in the future, will want to enrich and improve it.

The exciting discovery of a country rich in art and culture, for older people a worthy confirmation, could reveal to younger people a way to experience a sense of community and belonging, where knowledge and memory become useful tools to face the future with less uncertainty. A treasure trove of precious treasures for inventing individual stories and universal histories.

The book is edited by Emanuela Cerveri with the collaboration of Vanda Cerveri, Igino Ronchi, Gianluigi Garbellini, Paolo Riva, Simonetta and Annamaria Cerveri, Mila Zanella, Davide Valbuzzi, Christian Lino Sertorio and don Bruno Rocca.

Le photos are of Davide Valbuzzi, Andrea Messaggeri and Igino Ronchi.

The content of the book was the basis for the first Ecomuseo site of the Rhaetian Terraces in Bianzone.

L'articolo LIBRO ‘BIANZONE SCRIGNI D’ARTE E DI CULTURA’ proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.