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.