The parish church of Testico is one of the oldest in the Merula valley: begun as a Romanesque building with three naves around the fourteenth century, it was rebuilt twice, and the second rebuilding changed it completely. Between 1760 and 1785 the architect Domenico Belmonte turned it into a single octagonal hall in late baroque style; the consecration, in 1786, is recorded on the façade.
What to see
Inside there are six side altars besides the high altar, which is in polychrome marble inlaid like mosaic. The frescoes, stuccoes and decoration are by Tommaso Carrega, who worked here during the eighteenth-century enlargement. The side chapels hold a wooden Madonna of the Rosary, carved in 1831 by Giovanni Battista Garaventa, and an altarpiece by Lazzaro Tavarone showing the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, from the sixteenth century.
Visiting
The church stands on piazza della Chiesa, in the middle of the village, and is the parish seat in the vicariate of Andora. In 1796 French troops came down from the Ginestro pass, stripped it of its valuables and chiselled the Doria coat of arms off the doorway: the mark is still there, and it is the quickest way to understand how much of a through route this valley has been.
Our editors' tip
Look at the plan before the furnishings: Belmonte's octagon is a rare choice for a village parish church, and it explains why the space feels larger from inside than it really is.