Mother Church of San Giovanni Battista, Calciano

The Mother Church of San Giovanni Battista (main parish church) is the most important place in Calciano from an artistic and historical point of view. It stands on the edge of the village, behind a panoramic terrace overlooking the Basento valley.

History

The church stands where the chapel of the Madonna della Serra, the village patron saint, once stood; it is already recorded in 1475. It was rebuilt in the 18th century and became the main church at the end of the 19th century, when the inhabitants left the old village on the Rocca and moved here.

What to see

• The triptych by Bartolomeo da Pistoia, oil on wood panel painted in 1503, showing the Madonna and Child; the predella depicts twelve saints, including some female saints.
• The seventeen frescoes removed from the church of the Rocca, including a Madonna sheltering hooded penitents and images of Saint Blaise and Saint James.
• The praying Madonna in wood from the 15th century, attributed to the Venetian workshop of the Moranzon family.
• The baptismal font in stone, 17th–18th century.

The festival

On 8 September the Madonna della Serra is celebrated with a procession and ceri (large votive candles).

Useful information

• This is a church open for worship: visit it quietly, outside of services.
• From the terrace in front of the church you can see the Basento valley and the neighbouring villages.