Church of San Nicolò (Bolognola)

History of the Church of San Nicolò in Bolognola

The current church was built between 1828 and 1833, after the demolition of the previous one, which dated from the second half of the 15th century. The older building had become too small for the faithful attending services.

The parish priest of the time, don Angelo Primavera, had the interior decorated in tempera. The decorations were lost in 1964, when a restoration redid the floor, replaced the wooden windows with iron ones, repainted the walls and gave the church a new high altar.

In 1934 an avalanche broke through the roof and windows of the building and caused serious damage to the whole village. In July 1975 the two side altars near the entrance, dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Vincent Ferrer, were demolished. The earthquake swarm that began on September 26, 1997 seriously damaged the structure. After the first emergency works, a restoration project was approved in August 1999. It provided for consolidating the cracked walls and redoing the roof covering.

What to see in the Church of San Nicolò

The facade has the classic gabled shape, with a triangular pediment decorated by a cornice. The entrance portal is also topped by a triangular pediment.

The interior has a single nave with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. At the sides are two niches, each with an altar, while at the far end is a domed apse. Since the 1964 restoration the walls have been plastered in white and have no decoration.

Visiting the Church of San Nicolò in Bolognola

After the 2016 earthquake many historic buildings in the municipalities of the Sibillini National Park, in the Sibillini Mountains, were damaged, and some municipalities have red zones where access is forbidden. Before traveling to Bolognola, it is therefore advisable to check the conditions of access to the village and the church.

Where the Church of San Nicolò is located

The church is in Bolognola (province of Macerata), in the locality of Villa da Piedi. It is reached along via Sotto Castello, overlooked by the walls of the 15th-century Rocca (fortress). Opposite the church stands Palazzo Primavera.

Around the Church of San Nicolò

Palazzo Primavera dates from the 16th-17th centuries and has frescoed rooms. Its large cellars were used as a wool mill from the early 20th century. Not far away, via Sotto Castello runs beneath the walls of the Rocca, from the 15th century.

In piazza Leopardi stands the mother church of San Michele Arcangelo in Bolognola, rebuilt after the 1934 avalanche. After the 2016 earthquake it was declared unsafe. Other religious buildings of the area are presented on the page churches in the Sibillini Mountains.