The Church of the Madonna della Cavata in San Gregorio da Sassola takes its name from the painting of that name conserved inside.
One tradition recounts that this painting was 'cavata' or extracted from the earth where it had been buried while another suggests that it was 'cavata' or taken from the old Church of St. Gregory where it had been originally kept.
The primitive construction dates to the 1400s. The facade was transformed in 1700, when it took on its present aspect: a tympanum supported by two columns flanking the ancient door. Further consolidation and restoration work was carried out between 1963 and 1965. Inside, there is a single nave and the walls are completely covered with frescoes.
The ancient cabinet that holds the painting of the Madonna della Cavata can be found to one side on the back wall behind the altar. The painting shows the Virgin with Child blessing St. Gregory the Great who is kneeling to the left. The Virgin's face is the oldest part of the painting which probably dates to the end of 1200s. The angels, the Virgin's bust, the Child and St. Gregory were added in 1500s on top of the original painting, parts of which are still visible.
The back walls shows the three holy births celebrated by the church: the Nativity of Christ is in the centre flanked by that of the Holy Virgin (on the left) and of St. John Baptist (on the right). To the sides of the cabinet are St. Anthony Abbot and St. Benedict.
To the right of the altar are paintings depicting the entire life of Jesus. The two rows of vignettes, stretching from the back to the entrance, include the following scenes: the Annunciation of the Archangel to Holy Mary; The Birth of Jesus; The Adoration of the Magi; The Circumcision of Jesus; The Flight into Egypt; Jesus among the Pharisees; The Baptism of Jesus; One of Jesus' miracles (the resurrection of Lazarus) and Jesus's Entrance into Jerusalem. On the lower level, starting from the back are: The Last Supper; Oration at Gethsemane; The kiss of Judas; The Flagellation of Jesus (of which only the column capital remains because the door to the sacresty was opened in 1671); The Crucifixion; The Pietà and The Resurrection of Christ.
There are two enormous figures of Christ flanking the door to the church representing triumph over death and his descent into limbo to free the just who died before his coming.
The left wall is filled with two large compositions which represent the definitive triumph of Jesus: The Ascension and The Universal Judgement. The influence of Michelangelo is obvious in the latter.
While there is documentation in 1581 which refers to the completed frescoes, there is no precise information about the date in which they were started or about the painter. Very probably, as can be seen from comparison of the individual vignettes, they were completed by painters of different artistic levels and in different times.

Galleria fotografica