Castagniccia is the crossroads of the men and of the ground, it is thus normal that the voices of the spirit are made there hear. The religious inheritance is exceptional there, it mainly explains the principal great moments of the Corsican history which originate in Castagniccia since it is one of the places where the men learned how to handle the thought and the verb. It is also necessary to keep in mind the exceptional control of the tool which allowed the maintenance of the cultures and the construction of temples in the honor of the Creator. The religious art covers work with the stone, of architecture, but also that of painting or the woodwork. To a certain extent it covers also art with the song.

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The Art Baroque in Castagniccia

The period of revival of the catholic Church, after the reform initiated by the Council of Trente, coincides with the end of the wars of Sampiero and the resumption in hand of the island by Genoa which had withdrawn from it management with the Office of George Saint. The baroque in Corsica will be thus that of peace génoise.
The baroque thus becomes art à.la.mode. It will be expressed in various materials, painting, the sculpture and architecture. To fight against simplicity, the purity and the austerity of the Protestants of Europe, the new expression will be a total art or the setting in scene is of primary importance. The baroque is a spectacle which is offered to all and with all the directions. Its language is addressed to the mass and wants to be rendered comprehensible by all ; it wants to move, to touch the directions, and for this reason it is the art of the setting in scene, that of the popular spectacle which is expressed not only in the stone, but until in the ceremonies of the incense, the songs and the prayers.
Imposing or majestic, the frontage baroque is there to strike imagination. Often in contradiction with the small church which it dissimulates. By its situation dominating the valley and the small houses blotties around them, by its aspect and the effects of its rich person ornaments, it expresses the role of a new church, radiant in its art, increased, stabilized, after the shocks which it underwent, and at the dawn of a new dash.
In front of each village, it is by the church, its bell-tower or its frontage which the glance is immediately attracted. Imposing or majestic, the frontage, of character baroque, is there to strike imagination. It can be completely insulated, at equal distance from several hamaux or located in full heart of a grouped village ; it is often bordered of a place and seldom surrounded by rather high houses which could dissimulate it.
It is at the end of XVIe century that, in Corsica, this architecture of a completely new type appeared. The baroque was to replace the tradition of the Romance manufacturers which had perduré up to that point. The Rebirth, like the Gothic, having only very little touched the island, the Baroque architecture will be able to reign during more than three centuries on insular art.

Pieve de Morosaglia and of Rostino

Merusaglia

Church Santa Reparata (5 mn with foot of the principal hamlet). Church préromane in the beginning, has sudden multiple changes while preserving its traditional plan at single nave. Two interlaced snakes bite the tail on the tympanum of the Western door. Pasquale Paoli was baptized there. As in Carcheto and undoubtedly dated from the same time, Chemin of cross of the XVIIIe century of popular invoice works of a local imagier. The Deposition (fabric ; 0,80 X 0,60). Church Saint-François d' Assise old convent of the XVIIe century. Triptych of XVIe century.

Valle di Rostinu

Parish church San Michele of style traditional. In the west, 500 meters on a motor-road, ruins of the church Holy-Marie-of-Rescamone. Procathédrale de Mariana intended to be used as appendix for this principal episcopal see, it kept a hurdy-gurdy apse of Xe century out of stones punts of coloured schists (brown, gray, green), decorated outside surmounted pilasters of blind arcades. The frontage, whose gray marble apparatus is neater, was remade in XIIe century undoubtedly at the time when one raises the octagonal baptistry San Giovanni Battista with ten meters in the south-east of the apse. By its plan, by the very neat apparatus of its walls, this building is connected with the productions of the Romanesque art of Pisa : in particular with the octagonal church of the Holy Sepulchre of Pisa (1163) ; the sculpture is the work of local craftsmen, that of the tympanum of the baptistry (Adam and Eve around the Tree) and of the stoup, which seem to be re-employments (Xe or XIe century).

Castellu di Rustinu

Parish church Sainte-Marie of style baroque. Splendid Bell-tower. Retable of XVe century. After Castello di Rostino, to take on the left on an overland route. A path is detached soon on the right for the small vault San Tommaso de Pastoreccia (classified Mr. H. in 1927) located in the cemetery (15 mn of walk). Préromane, the vault San Tomamaso is with single nave and apse directed towards the east. In 1933, disastrous "a restoration", due to the architect of the Historic buildings, had as a result the collapse of the old frame and the demolition (by dynamiting!) half of the church added to the detachment of part of the interior frescos, principal ornament of the site. Extremely fortunately, the elements which escaped from it give an idea of the high technique of the artists of XVe century. With the apse, Pantocrator Christ surrounded by angels, symbol and Évangélistes Luc (the winged and haloed bull) and Jean (the eagle with the wings of peacock), blesses the visitor and its message delivers to him : "Ego sum lux mundi and via veritatis" (I am the light of the world and the way of the truth). The lion of Marc Saint disappeared, but the angel (Holy Mathieu) remains still visible with Saint Barthélemy carrying his skin on its shoulder. On the triumphal arch, Annunciation and Holy Michel embanking the dragon and weighing the hearts ; scenes of the Passion, including one beautiful fragment of Cène, decorate the parts Eastern of the walls north, the figures of six saints and holy gathered by three and sex and the Last Judgement, on the southern wall. "No date is preserved on these paintings but details of style, a search for prospect given by the lines reducing for the pavement or the presence for rinceaux decorative, already Renaissance, on the desk of the Virgin of the Annunciation, make it possible to allot them at the end of XVe century or the beginning of XVIe century. Moreover, they have a small air of family with several other frescos or paintings known wood gone back to this time, like the retable of Cassano into 1505"(Mrs. Morachini-Mazel).

Salicetu

Church whose furnace bridge rests on an arch spanning the river.

Vault San Quiliciu di Cambia

To 5 mn of the hamlet, masked by an abundant vegetation, the vault is built in large well installed schist gray-yellow rooms which confer a sober elegance to him. Probably raised in first half of XIIIe century, it presents a carved decoration full with life : to notice, in addition to let us mordillons blind arcades, the tympanums, treated in strong relief of the Western door (the Temptation of Adam and Eve) and southern side door (a man strangling a dragon, victory of the good over the forces of the evil), surmounted of a reason for interlacing. The vault Santa Maria, to 10 mn in the east of Corsoli, hamlet of Cambia, is a Romance building of a very pure style rather similar to the preceding one and frame at the same time, but it is almost entirely deprived of carved decoration.

Pieve of Ampugnani

A Porta d'Ampugnani

Saint-Jean-Baptiste church, built with the surroundings 1648 and increased about 1680, according to a plan with single nave and side chapels stressed by pilasters with capitals corinthiens, is most famous of the churches Corsican baroques, a true head of work strongly fixed on the powerful sitted ones.
Its frontage on two floors (1707), completed by the Milanese architect Domenico Baia, and its bell-tower (1720) on five floors (45 m) join together all the elements of the rococo. One will note the side triumphalist person, entirely deferred on the pediment ; this one slices with the first stages more stripped with the simple pilasters and the columns which frame a gate of entry surmounted of a pediment all in curves.

On the second level, decorated volutes of shells make the building light and encourage the eye to rise towards the sky. For the bell-tower, the movement starts from a base to pure geometry and becomes complicated to be completed as a flame solidified by a small flanked hexagonal dome of four pyramidions. On the frontage of the church, a rough coat, whose ochre and white color "baroque", gave place to grinds village discussions, with replaced the old made coating of an astute mixture and who had the same gilded patina as the stone which levelled. The unit remains however harmonious with its pretty decoration of pinnacles, volutes and shells framing an oval window. The door of entry, it, is also surrounded by gracious pilasters and columns in horn-the eye.
Inside, in addition to a tormented usual decoration of stuccos and paintings of camaieu vault realized by Girolamo da Porta in 1886, the high altar is surmounted by an architectonic retable with only one framed side of double columns with hats corinthiens. In an imposing medallion the Holy Spirit appears. The ailerons of the pediment are furnished with cherubs in round bump. Several tables offered by Napoleon III decorate the church. The church has remarkable Décollation of Jean-baptiste Saint of the XVIIIe century, small fabric located on the front of the chorus on the right and the Martyrdom of Holy Eulalie of Barcelona of Louis Destouches (1848), the Annunciation, copies of Guido de Reni whose original is with the museum of the Louvre. Among wood carved : large Christ of theSainte-Croix Vault of the XVIIe century ; returning, on the right, work of the XVIIe century classified by the Art schools. Christ smaller above the baptismal font in front of the chorus on the left. It could be end of XVIe century. Virgin out of wooden gilded and two angels admirers in same matter (XIXe century), offered by Dr. Conneau, dignitary of the Second Empire and child of the country. Liturgical furniture (classified) : gold raised wire cover XVIIIe century, chalice silver (1770), oil-can and plate money beginning of the XIXe century. The communion table and the bases of the furnace bridge are out of Carrara marble. Baptismal tank of the XVIIIe century (old stoup of the church). Paintings and decorations of the vault of the side chapels of share of other of the entry due to Baina (1704-1707).
The organ of Italian style goes back to 1780 built with the convent of Rogliano by the monk franciscain Maracci, was transported to Porta under Convention (year VII) by the police chief Salicetti (in which the wife was originating in Porta) after destruction of the convent close to Saint-Anthony de Casabianca for which it had been intended. Restored in 1965 by the Master organ builder Fromentelli de Vérone. Building classified the 18 II 1975.

Quercitellu

Chapel San Ciprianu edifice registers 22 X 1976. To know some more to visit this bond.

Church of the Virgin of Mount Carmel. Building classified the 19 XI 1976.

Giocatoghju

Church San Quilico (XVIIe). Some elements of the church préromane on the frontage. High altar in marble marquetry. The monument was rebuilt in second half of the XVIIIe century and was completed in 1802. New restoration finished in August 2000 after two years of work. Restoration frontage, roof, ground out of terra cotta : company Nicolaï (Furiani) ; analyze chemical masonries and coatings Gilles Fauck (Pontoise) ; treatment of the walls against the increase of moisture : Fabien Paoli (Furiani) ; seek of the whole of the interior decorations covered by modern paintings : Bernard Bahuet (High-Provence) ; murals Miss Katia Martinetti (Cervione) ; restoration exterior wood finishing and furniture : company Verdier (Furiani) ; the high altar was carried out by the cabinetmaker of Croce, Abel Racio. Local companies of masonry and electricity Cossa and Léonardi (Carried It) ; special manufacture of glosses starting from models génois undertaken Montagnier (Paris). Building classified the 15 II 1977.

Brood Sant' Antone di Casabianca

Founded in 1420 with the collar of Saint-Anthony, today in ruin, it played a significant role in the fights of the Corsican people. Here, Pasquale Paoli was elected general of nation, during Consulta joined together on July 14, 1755. In December 1797 was held at the same place another consulted known as "of Crocette". Corsicans decided to raise themselves against the Republic and religious persecution. Agostino Giafferi then 80 years old was selected there for head. Two months later, the old man will fall to Bastia under the balls from a firing squad. Building registers the 30 I 1990.

Ortiporiu

Parish church Saint-Augustin (XVIIIe century). Pediment with two obelisks ; bell-tower bell-tower, fabrics coming from the collection of the Fesch cardinal. Family house of the Moroni General.

Campile

Church Saint-Pierre-et-Paul (XVIIe century), of style baroque, contains a table of XVIe century, the Derision of Christ.

Canaghia

Normance vault the Michaelmas.

Pieve d' Orezza

Campana

To follow D 71. Parish church Saint-Andrew. At the interior, behind the furnace bridge, a fabric of the school of Seville : Worship of the shepherds (fabric ; 2,50 X 1,53). This painting was offered in 1895 to the church of its village by Jean Campana, who would have acquired it in the south of France. Painting to be brought closer, by its pictorial technique and its faces of the Andalusian type, that of the museum of Grenoble signed by Zurbarãn (1598-1664) in 1638 and of that of the museum of Cordoue, of 1630, allotted, without unquestionable evidence, with the pupil of Zurbarãn, Sabaria. Another fabric : Dead Chris (XVIIe century). It belongs to the school of Seville of the XVIIe century if the composition is considered, the range of the colours, the technique of theobscure one ; the concern of the realistic detail is expressed in the still life of the foreground, hard clothing of the shepherds and faces of the Andalusian type (small gitan turned towards the witness which shows finger, while laughing, the Child laid down in the Crib to which it brought an egg basket in gift).
Rise of the Mount San Pedrone about August 9, Mass celebrated at the top of the mountain Tel. : 04 95 35 82 54

Brood of Orezza

Destroyed in 1943 by the Germans who had transformed it into ammunition dump, theSaint-François convent is today in sorry state, cover of ivy, completely with the abandonment. A long time the ground was covered with casings. Founded by Franciscains, closed down Revolution, it played a significant role at the XVIIIe century as place of consult (assembled). In March and April 1731, the canon Erasmo Orticoni and a score of theologists had met there to examine the legitimacy of the revolt against Genoa. In January 1735, the lawyer Sebastiano Costa, Luigi Giafferi and Giacinto Paoli voted for two resolutions in favour of independence there of the kingdom and the adoption of a Constitution. In 1744, it is convent which Saint Léonard of Oporto Maurizio, mandé by the pope Benoît XIV, preached against a mission against the vendetta which ensanglantait Corsica. In 1790, Pasquale Paoli would have met Napoleon Bonaparte there.

Piedicroce d' Orezza

Church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, built in 1691 reflects the imposing character of the place. The armorial bearings of Saint-Pierre, surrounded by enrubannées volutes of style rococo, surmount the door of entry of this building baroque whose frontage combines surmounted composite capitals of an animated architrave. Hexagonal bell-tower with blind arcades. In the nave with the seven side chapels, decoration of frescos and stuccos (the apostles are painted in medallions, Resurrection on the vault). In the center of a superb retable, the Virgin of the rosary by Emmanuele Constantini (1764). The Master furnace bridge, equipped with a remarkable iconographic composition and flanked of two angels caryatids is decorated in the center with a medallion in low relief, the figure of Pierre Saint to the bonds ; to the top of Master furnace bridge, Madone with the Child enters of the angels musicians (painting on wood of XVIe century). On the side panels, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul. The organ (beginning XVIIe century) is oldest of Corsica. The vault of the brotherhood Sainte-Dévote (XVIIIe century) is of very traditional invoice. Between the pilasters, statues of which that of Holy Excessively pious woman. Decorative paintings with the ceiling. Altar stone worked. The polychrome organ case enchases an old instrument coming from the cathedral of Bastia and allotted to Giorgio Spinola (1617-1619). It is with the church of Porta one of the most beautiful examples of the Baroque architecture of Corsicans

Carchetu-Brusticu

Church Sainte-Marguerite, fine XVIe century. One of the religious monuments more moving by Corsica. Work local artists far from the pump baroque usually of setting with XVIIe and XVIIIe century. Harmonious architecture. Monumental openwork bell-tower. Its architraves, niches and setbacks are characteristic of the triumphing Baroque art. To notice the heat color of the stone which contrasts with the black color of the holes of putlog-hole. At the interior, a overflow of color : gypseries, stuccos, polychromy ivory and red takes part in the same coordinated unit. High altar with the foot of which Sainte Marguerite was represented, pulpit and retable of the Vault to the Rosary combine multicoloured marbles. Large gate vault out of polychrome wooden. Furniture of sacristy behind the high altar. The Way of cross popular fabric of art (1790) swarms with details : whining traditional Corsican, buckled little child preparing the nails for the torturer. Corsican traditional Iconography of the Setting to the Tomb. Presence also of a Virgin to the Child of the XVIIIe century of Italian origin perhaps (fallen down of the folds of its clothing and draped of its coat) carrying the attributes of its royalty : crown and sceptre. The organ comes from the convent of Orezza. Building classified 22 X 1976.

Prunu

Vestiges of a vault of Xe-XIe century, Holy-Marie-of-Canovaria and its frescos. Building classified 18 X 1983.

Scata

Sainte-Cécile church of Romance origin. Not from there, Romance vault, Saint-Martin-of-Lumito.

General of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church with his bell-tower

Pieve of Alesani

Old convent Saint-François d' Alesani (commune of Novale)

Founded in 1236, ten years hardly after the death of Saint-François-in Assise, probably in withdrawal of its current site. The sect of Giovannali would have found refuge there before his extermination. Rebuilt in 1354 and modified many times. The current church goes back to 1716. Twenty years later, Theodore de Neuhoff, one of the most singular adventurers of the XVIIIe century, will be crowned there kings of Corsica, April 15, 1736 by a general assembly made up of two delegated by commune and delegated churches and convents of Corsica.

Around the monastery a guard of two patriotic miles camped. But not having been able to have the helps that it hoped for, king Theodore had to leave Corsica and to go to wander in Holland and England seeking allies everywhere. Several times it tried to find its royalty, without success. TheSaint-François convent is one of the high places of Corsican resistance to the occupant génois (classified Mr. H. in 1929).

Buildings conventuels on two floors. Cloister and church with only one nave, glaze of a vault with penetration. The bell-tower which collapsed in 1943 was not rebuilt. Chorus and high altar, surmounted of a triumphal arch and its stalls of the XVIIIe century are to be discovered. The Virgin with cherry, panel on wood (0,50 X 0,40), the most beautiful part of the church, is allotted to Sano di Pietro (1406-1481), painter siennois especially, at the time where its manner was influenced by Sassetta. The hieratism of the Virgin recalls to works older (treatment of the face and hands, folds of clothing, tenderness familiar of the face of the child against the face of its mother) in particular a Virgin to the Child preserved at the oratory of His. Beautiful stalls (1713).
Celebrates religious and procession about September 8, Tel.. 04 95 35 82 54

Felce

Church with schist roof surmounted by a bell-tower on four floors. The interior reveals well preserved naive frescos : Baptism of Christ on the left, on pendentive of the vault, the author, pallets in hand floats on the clouds. In the flat bedside, Annonciation in arcades misleads the eye of Renaissance time of it. The gate vault was carved with the knife by a Corsican gangster. To know some more visit the site of the village.