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Sandigliano (Biella)- Oratory of St. Anthony Abbot
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 The Oratory of Sant'Antonio Abate is also called the Oratory of Sant'Antonio at the Tower due to the fact that it is located near one of the two castles of the village. However, it must be said that it was probably never the chapel of the adjacent castle, since it was never included in its walls.
It is a small building in style at the turn of Romanesque and Gothic erected probably at the end of the thirteenth century or the beginning of the fourteenth.
It is known that at the beginning of the seventeenth century it did not yet have the internal vault and that it was covered only by the roof. It was by order of the bishop that in 1664 the walls were raised and the internal vault was created. The more recent upper part is still well recognizable from the outside, both at the level of the facade and at the level of the side walls, where the decoration with hanging arches that ran around the whole originary church are still in place. Also the pilasters that mark the side walls cover in height only the older part. It should be noted that the ancient part of the walls also includes parts built in river pebbles as well as bricks.
The facade bears traces of an ogival portal with an archivolt of terracotta tablets. In the upper half, in the center, there is a large rectangular window and at the apex a large triangular pediment. It should be noted that on the right side of this pediment there is a small bell tower. Unfortunately, a fifteenth-century fresco of St. Cristopher which was present on the right half of the facade has now almost completely disappeared.
We have already mentioned the side walls. Note that all side windows are located in the newer upper part of the lateral walls. They are three on each side, rather large. Those on the left side are however walled up.
The rear apse is typically Romanesque and the height corresponds to that of the original oratory. With a semicircular section, it has two monoforas.
The division between the older lower part and the newer upper one is also evident inside. The first is in fact made up of non-plastered walls, partly in brick and partly in river pebbles. The second, on the other hand, corresponds to the completely plastered barrel-shaped lunette roof.
The interior of the apse is completely covered with fifteenth-century frescoes. They are attributed to the so-called Master of Christ of Sunday, from the fresco found in the Cathedral of Biella, and it is thought that they were painted around 1460. The twelve apostles are depicted on the wall, while in the absidal basin there is the blessing Christ Pantocrator surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists.
On the left wall there is furthermore a beautiful fresco depicting a Virgin enthroned with Child attributed to the workshop of Daniele de Bosis. It should therefore have been painted in the early sixteenth century. Despite this, the style is still late Gothic, as is typical for the De Bosis workshop.
Categories: Places of historical value of artistic value
Via Roma, 33, 13876 Sandigliano BI |
Oratory of St. Anthony Abbot: Further pictures in the section Photography |