The church of San Marco Evangelista is the parish church of Marco, a hamlet of Rovereto. A first chapel is documented in 1180. In the second half of the fifteenth century the small church was rebuilt and enlarged; in 1696 it was granted a baptismal font and in 1742 the rank of curacy. In the second half of the eighteenth century it was rebuilt, perhaps entirely, in late-Baroque forms. The bell tower dates from the mid-nineteenth century, and in 1868 the bishop of Trento, Benedetto Riccabona, celebrated its solemn consecration. It became a parish in 1915.
What to see
After the First World War the building was restored and partly rebuilt, both to repair the serious war damage and to lengthen the nave: the façade was redone, but various parts of the presbytery and chapels were kept. A second consecration followed, in 1924.
The vault of the presbytery is decorated by Pino Casarini, that of the nave frescoed by Metodio Ottolini. The altarpiece in the choir is attributed to Umberto Martina; the statue of Saint Joseph is by Luigi Bombana of Mori, the wooden group of the Pietà by the sculptor Giuseppe Obletter. The organ is by the Mascioni firm.
Visiting
Opening and Mass times should be checked with the parish of Marco.
Our editors' tip
On the façade there used to be a decoration with the lion of Saint Mark: it was removed almost certainly in the nineties, during work on the plaster. The village gives its name to the Lavini di Marco biotope, with its dinosaur footprints.
