Santena's parish church is neo-baroque and recent: it was built in 1921 by Matteo Cavaglià's firm to a design by the architect Giuseppe Gallo, and the design was completed by his son Bartolomeo in September 1927. It replaced the old eighteenth-century church, by then too small for the congregation.
What to see
The measurements state the ambition: 45 metres long, 27 wide, 40 high, and a bell tower reaching 63 metres. Inside, twelve marble columns carry the structure and the high altar stands under a great marble baldachin in the manner of the Roman basilicas; the relics of the martyr saints Fortunato and Clemente were enclosed in it. The walls were painted by Luigi Morgari, with Gospel scenes along the sides and, on the arch before the presbytery, Christ the King adored by the peoples of every race.
Visiting
The piece that explains everything is the apse: it is not of the twentieth century but still belongs to the old church, enlarged in 1853 and 1854 by the architect Giuseppe Leoni, and it stayed standing because the nearness of the castle made demolition impossible. The church opened for worship in 1930 and was consecrated by cardinal Maurilio Fossati on 3 February 1940, with eight days of celebrations. The baptistery is of 1943: the font is a single block of dark marble shaped as a truncated cone, and weighs 27 quintals.
Our editors' tip
Go down to the grotto of the Madonna of Lourdes, which lies beneath the church and is entered from the square: the statue was bought at Lourdes by prior Pietro Amateis and the place is among the dearest to the people of Santena. Then look up to the gallery over the entrance, where the organ built in 1929 by Francesco Vegezzi Bossi stands: 1350 pipes inside a monumental case topped by two angels with trumpets.