The church of San Bartolomeo is a sacred building in the historic centre of Faenza, rebuilt in 1209 and still partly original. Restored after the First World War, today it is the Shrine of the Fallen of all wars.
What to see
It is one of the oldest buildings in Faenza: its construction goes back to the ninth century and it stands on a small rise, where it is likely that nearby stood the Roman-era Palatium regium, the consul's residence. The first written testimony is of 8 February 1159. In 1171 a fire destroyed much of Faenza, from San Bartolomeo as far as porta Ravegnana, and the damage to the church was such that the remains were pulled down and the building rebuilt: the rebuilding took place in 1209, a date handed down by an old slab now lost, and the temple is a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture. In the Napoleonic period the church was suppressed, in 1810; the building passed to the Gessi counts, who in 1819 ceded it to the Confraternity of Saint Anthony Abbot, and in 1912 to the parish of Saints Michael and Augustine, which still owns it.
In 1910 it was declared a national monument, thanks to the interest of the honorary inspector Gaetano Ballardini, and after a long restoration, in 1920, it was decided to consecrate it as a votive temple of the Victory of the First World War; on 24 May 1935 Bishop Ruggero Bovelli consecrated it in its new function as a famedio of the Fallen. The restoration aimed to recover the original harmony, and all the parts added after the thirteenth century were removed: the walls are bare, with traces of late-medieval frescoes, and the interior has been recreated in the Romanesque style, as the steps, the screens and the altar of pale San Marino stone show. Twentieth-century are the terracotta floor, the Art Deco braziers, the painted cross by the Faenza artist Roberto Sella, the apse windows in thin alabaster slabs, the wooden doors, the crucifix and the four iron candelabra. On the walls are marble epigraphs with the names of the soldiers who fell in the two world wars.
Visiting
The church is in the historic centre of Faenza. It belongs to the parish of Saints Augustine and Margaret and is on loan to the Comune, which looks after its maintenance with the help of the Associazione Nazionale Alpini; Masses in memory of the Fallen and historical and cultural events are held there. The sources consulted give no opening hours: check them.
Our editors' tip
In the crypt are buried 54 soldiers, whose names are recorded on a plaque beside the altar; among them Domenico Marri, don Antonio Pirazzini and Luigi Ancarani were decorated with the Medal of Military Valour.
