Provincia di Roma

Collegiata di Santa Maria della Visitazione a Cervara

  • Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation - Cervara di Roma
  • Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation - Cervara di Roma

Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation - Cervara di Roma

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Collegiata di Santa Maria della Visitazione a Cervara

The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation is situated in a dominant position over the hilltop town of Cervara, beneath the mountain peak.
The building, extremely simple in its shape, holds a large bay with chapels hollowed from the thickness of the longtitudinal walls. There is no apse and the 18th century main altar is positioned against the back wall. The ancient altars were made of carved stone with iron railings around them. The ceiling holds one barrel vault with a pitched roof behind, a configuration that echoes the interior.
The church has three entrances, framed by white calcite stone. The central, Renaissance, entrance, decorated with a cherub, is the main portal, and is both larger than the others and more finely decorated. The unplastered façade has a cornice in ornamental raw stone, with brickwork inserts above the portals which indicates that some restoration work has certainly been carried out. Two rows of putlog holes are visible beneath the triangular tympanum. The body of the church itself, situated as it is on a steep slope, is supported by a structure of three large, stoneworked arches which are reinforced with the use of large iron keys.
Historical information about the building is scarse. An inscription on the largest bell reads that it was cast in 1428 for the first time and recast in 1785 for the second, which postulates a date for basic construction as 15th century, even though characteristics of the bell tower, placed on the wall corresponding to the cornu evangeli corner of the altar, would indicate an earlier date.
There is mention of various pastoral visits to the Church of Cervara between 16th and 17th century, the most interesting of which was that of Agostino Marliano, Bishop of Marliana, Corsica who reported on the state of the parish in 1660. The church was greatly transformed between the late 17th and early 18th century.
By the 19th century, the increase in population made it necessary to expand the church and, in 1872, it was restructured and extended towards the south, adding a barrel vault covering. The bell tower was moved to the left of the presbitery and three doors framed with white stone were opened in the front wall.
The church houses several art treasures: an oil painting on canvas of the Visitation, attributed to Vincenzo Vanenti of Orvinio, which dates to the early 17th century as does the painting of Our Lady of Carmel on the main altar.
The body of a martyr of the church, found in the catacombs of St. Callisto in Rome, is buried beneath the main altar, a gift from Pope Pius VI to Cervara. Close by is a stone with the
inscription Felix, thus it was attributed to St. Felix who is the saint of the town and celebrated on 3rd July with a procession.

Dove si trova
Indirizzo: 
Via Giuseppe Verdi, 00020 Cervara di Roma RM
Telefono: 
0774.828084
Fax: 
0774.828084
Galleria fotografica
Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation - Cervara di Roma
Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Visitation - Cervara di Roma

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