Church of Our Lady of the Angels

In the small square known as Piazzetta XXIV Maggio stands the simple little church of the Madonna degli Angeli.

Featuring a bell gable and a side sacristy, the interior has a very simple layout: a single nave with a side altar. Above it hangs a painting depicting Saint Lawrence, which comes from the old parish church dedicated to him and once situated a short distance away, in Via Don Minzoni.

The present-day church, ‘built from the ground up in 1692’ (as a plaque inside recalls), is dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli; it houses a 17th-century image of her, surrounded by a beautiful flower box and a host of angels.

The image, which had been housed in a small private chapel that was subsequently demolished, was moved to the adjoining church along with the wall on which it had been painted. In 1856, a skilled artist named Rizzoli removed it from the wall and transferred it onto silk. Since then, the community has always celebrated the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on 8 September at this very spot.

Initially every five years, then annually, with a novena in her honour: Holy Mass in the morning and the recitation of the Holy Rosary in the evening. On the feast day, a solemn procession takes place, with the image of Our Lady of the Angels carried through the streets of the neighbourhood, followed by a final blessing. The festival concludes with the traditional draw for the increasing number of donations made by generous parishioners for the benefit of those attending the ceremony.