Church of San Biagio (Pieve Torina)

History of the Church of San Biagio in Pieve Torina

The church was born inside the castle of Capriglia: over the centuries the defensive tower was turned into a bell tower, and the little church was created from one of the rooms of the original castle. In the 14th century the village also had the churches of San Giovanni and Santa Vittoria, a monastery of Santa Margherita and a group of Franciscan penitents.

The building has been altered over time. Of the facade, only the stone portal with its Romanesque arch remains intact.

What to see in the Church of San Biagio in Pieve Torina

The most important piece is the polyptych by Paolo da Visso. It is a tempera on canvas from around 1470, made up of ten panels in two tiers. At the top, in the center, is a Crucifixion with saints. Below are the enthroned Virgin and Child and the saints linked to Capriglia: Margaret, John the Baptist, Blaise and, perhaps, Venantius. The work was commissioned by the local community and combines the Sienese and Foligno styles.

Above the altar on the right wall, in the niche, is the fresco of the Madonna of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Catherine, angels and worshippers. It is dated 1585 and attributed to Fabio Angelucci. It was commissioned by the brothers of the Confraternity of the Rosary, at the time of the rector Ciriaco Celle. The baptismal font is made from a stone holy water stoup, 128 cm high, with a diameter of 62 cm.

Visiting the Church of San Biagio in Pieve Torina

After the 2016 earthquake the bell tower was badly damaged. Before going to Capriglia, it is best to ask the Comune di Pieve Torina (town hall) whether the church is accessible.

Where the Church of San Biagio in Pieve Torina is located

The church is in Capriglia, a hamlet of Pieve Torina. The village lies along the crest of a hill. It is less than one kilometer from the epicenter of the magnitude 4.8 tremor of November 3, 2016.

Around the Church of San Biagio in Pieve Torina

Traces of the castle remain in the village. Two towers survive, along with part of the town walls and a stone entrance arch with a portcullis.

Pieve Torina is also home to the Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo in Pieve Torina and the Church of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Pieve Torina. Other places of worship in the area are gathered on the churches of the Sibillini Mountains page. In the center of Pieve Torina, Piazza Santa Maria Assunta is home to the church of the same name, once an archpriest's church.