MONTEGRIDOLFO
The San Rocco Church
At the foot of the castle walls stands the Church of San Rocco, built in 1427 and featuring a beautiful Gothic-inspired pointed portal. It houses a splendid canvas by Guido Cagnacci, a master of seduction from Romagna and one of the leading figures of the 17th century. The work, executed in his early period (around 1620), depicts the Madonna and Child adored by Saints Sebastian, Rocco, and Giacinto. Saint Sebastian, effeminate in his features, pose, and the splendor of his flesh, strikingly contradicts the stereotype of mystical iconography. The frescoes are also interesting, one by an anonymous 15th-century artist from the Marche region, Madonna Enthroned with Child between Saints Rocco and Sebastian, and the other, with the same subject, attributed to Girolamo Marchesi da Cotignola (1520-25). The original of the Black Madonna, recently restored, is also housed inside the Church of San Rocco.
Gothic Line Museum
The museum, whose original core is housed in a bunker reconstructed according to the model of those built during World War II, documents the passage of the front with testimonies and artifacts. The museum's name, in fact, refers to the name given by Hitler to the German defense line built along the Apennines in 1943-44: Goten Linie, or the Gothic Line, later known as the Gothic Line. The exhibits, donated or lent by local residents, consist of political propaganda material such as newspapers, posters, postcards, photos, and cartoons dating from 1943-44, as well as war material such as weapons, shell casings, hand grenades, and gas masks; in addition, there are the soldier's personal accessories. Magazines and films from the period are available for viewing. It is also possible to visit some of the eleven shelters that civilians dug in 1944 to take shelter during the battle. A complex renovation and expansion project, currently underway, will give the museum a new look and additional space.
The Viviani Small Chapel
The small chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua was built in 1906 on the left side of the municipal church of Sant'Agostino by Count and engineer Filippo Viviani, a member of the noble family who had been holidaying in Montegridolfo since 1801 in the family palace. As early as October 14, 1897, with the establishment of the Pia Opera del Pane di Sant'Antonio (Pious Work of the Bread of Saint Anthony), active in the churches of Sant'Agostino and San Pietro, the count had expressed his devotion to the Franciscan saint, to whom the inscription in capital letters on the continuous frieze and lunette of the chapel refers ("Filippo and Adele Viviani dedicated MCMIV to the Saint of Padua"). The decoration, organized according to the neo-fifteenth-century model of a secluded space, covered by a starry vault and enclosed by walls painted to simulate a damask paneling divided into compartments, was entrusted to Professor Donzelli of Fossombrone. In November 1907, on the occasion of a celebration dedicated to the Saint, the chapel was blessed by Bishop Vincenzo Scozzoli. In 1944, during the passage of the front in the Second World War, unlike the adjacent church of Sant'Agostino, which was irreparably damaged, the Viviani chapel was preserved, except for the glass of the two side windows, which were shattered.The chapel's wall decorations were subject to conservation work by the Institute for Cultural Heritage, in accordance with Regional Law No. 18/2000.
Crucifixion
Madonna and Child adored by Saints Sebastian, Rocco and Hyacinth
The work, likely executed in his youth, depicts the Madonna and Child adored by Saints Sebastian, Rocco, and Giacinto. A Saint Sebastian, effeminate in his features, pose, and the splendor of his flesh, strikingly contradicts the stereotype of mystical iconography. "The dancing Sebastian, chained to a column, seems to be a copy of the pose, not the expression, of a Sebastian by Carracci. Rocco, with his Nazarene-style face and hair like a young Guercino, is accompanied by a dog with a meticulously groomed coat that suggests the skill of Guido, the artist of "Still Lifes." Only Giacinto is in conversation with the Madonna, who dominates with the Child from a small cloud, and a hem of his tunic is fixed with extraordinary material and three-dimensional strength." (exhibition catalogue "Guido Cagnacci. Protagonist of the Seventeenth Century between Caravaggio and Reni," Forlì 2010).The municipal Church of San Rocco is a 15th-century hospital oratory, built outside the Castle. It houses a series of devotional works that have overlapped, forming a rich artistic palette. Of particular interest are the 15th- and 16th-century frescoes depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints Roch and Sebastian; the altarpiece by Guido Cagnacci, also with the Madonna and Child (upper register) and Saints Sebastian, Roch, and Hyacinth, dating from around 1620; the 18th-century Virgin of Loreto (Madonna of Loreto); and the 18th-century scagliola antependium with the image of Saint Roch. The chronological and stylistic sequence of these paintings offers interesting insight into the subtle variations in iconography over time, according to taste, and popular devotion. Invia commenti
