The church of Santi Sebastiano e Rocco, in Cento, was born of a bequest of the early sixteenth century, which led the community to build a place of worship for the two saints prayed to against the plague epidemics, then very widespread. A confraternity was also tied to the church and had its seat there. Building began in 1521 and ended in 1552. In 1749 a bull of Pope Benedict XIV raised it to a parish; later it became subsidiary to the parish of San Pietro.
What to see
From 1630 the church was enlarged in its hall and given a new atrium, the façade and the bell tower. In 1738 the roof covering was strengthened and the vault of the nave redone; another enlargement followed between 1764 and 1770. The portico was restored in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Part of that building is missing today. In 1964 the excavations of a building site opened in the immediate vicinity caused enormous damage to the structure, and afterwards the bell tower and part of the façade had to be demolished. Between 1978 and 1987 the parts that had remained intact were consolidated.
Visiting
The church was closed to worship after the Second World War. Whether and when it is possible to go in should be checked with the parish of San Pietro, on which it depends.
Our editors' tip
In the church there was a painting of St Sebastian and St Roch attributed to Ubaldo Gandolfi, which was later destroyed by a fire. In 2019 a copy of it was donated to the parish.
