Villanova Marchesana
Welcome to Villanova Marchesana!
Hello everyone, today I'd like to talk about Villanova Marchesana, a municipality in the province of Rovigo in Veneto, located southeast of Rovigo. Throughout its history, this small village has seen the rise and fall of several churches, but today I want to focus on the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta, one of its main landmarks.
Landmarks and points of interest
The church, located south of the central street of the village near the banks of the Po river, was built in the second half of the 18th century. But this is just the latest structure of a series of churches that have succeeded each other over time in the same location.
Religious architecture
Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta
The original construction dates back to the late 13th century, and included a baptismal font and an adjacent cemetery. Later, a bell tower was also erected. Despite the area being sparsely populated and predominantly cultivated, the church had some economic importance thanks to the monastic order that was established there and that owned some sacred furnishings.
It was only with the initiative of Borso d'Este, who in the mid-15th century ordered the construction of the Certosa of Ferrara, that the church became part of the possessions managed by the Carthusians. Thanks to greater economic availability, the sacred building was expanded and gained increasing importance in the northern part of the Ferrarese Transpadana.
Subsequently, the church underwent some transformations and was demolished to make way for the structure we admire today, inaugurated in 1788. This new church was built in a style that fused elements of Renaissance and Baroque architecture inspired by Ferrara. Among the furnishings inside was a painting depicting the Madonna della Salute by Scarsellino which, unfortunately, was destroyed in a fire in 1968.
In summary, the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Villanova Marchesana has a lengthy and interesting history, which is worth getting to know. If you pass by, don't forget to visit it and admire its architectural beauty.
