The church of San Giovanni stands at the centre of the Cuorgnè village and was the church of the Confraternity of Mercy, also known as of Saint John Beheaded. Documents attest the church from 1378, while the confraternity was already active in 1487.
What to see
The dedication explains the trade. The confraternity named after the beheaded Baptist attended those condemned to death and then accompanied their remains to this church: it was the task such companies took on across half of Italy, and the one that put them where nobody else wanted to stand.
Visiting
There is one detail, though, that sets the Cuorgnè company apart: it held the important privilege of being able to free one condemned prisoner each year. This was not a symbolic custom but a real power, exercised once a year, and it is worth going in knowing it, because it changes the way you look at a small, tucked-away building like this one.
Our editors' tip
The church is a few steps from the parish church of San Dalmazzo and from the clock tower: the old centre of Cuorgnè can be walked in half an hour, and lining up the three buildings is the quickest way to understand how the town worked, with the parish, the communal tower and the confraternity all close to one another.