Oratorio di San Bartolomeo

via Banda Lenti - 15048 Valenza (AL)
https://www.comune.valenza.al.it/it-it/vivere-il-comune/cosa-vedere/oratorio-di-san-bartolomeo-38907-1-462238120d3ebe5e9b36965764961a57

The Church of Santa Caterina, now the Oratory of San Bartolomeo, is the oldest building in Valenza erected within the confines of what was once the medieval city. The octagonal church was commissioned by Benedictine nuns in 1584. The building was originally connected to the nearby Benedictine monastery, whose patrons were the noble De Cardenas family. The church was built by a master builder from the Pannizzari family, well-known in Valenza at the time for having contributed to the construction of the city's Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore during the 17th century. In 1802, when the Benedictine monastery was suppressed under pressure from reformists, the church came under the control of the Confraternity of San Bartolomeo. In 1840, the oratory underwent renovations and was completely repainted by Francesco Gabetta, an artist likely from nearby Lombardy. He embellished the building with an impressive trompe l'oeil painting that mimics neo-Gothic architecture in the troubadour style. During the renovation, a valuable terracotta portal from the town's church of San Francesco, destroyed in 1858, was installed on the façade. From the ancient church of Santa Caterina, several 17th-century missals and some terracotta friezes and panels still survive.

For information: 0131 949286 / biblioteca@comune.valenza.al.it

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The Oratory of San Bartolomeo in Valenza
is now a candidate for the FAI's "Places of the Heart." For more information, please see the attached poster.

For over twenty years, the FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, has promoted the largest public mapping initiative of Italy's cultural heritage through the "Places of the Heart" census.

The project aims to raise awareness among citizens and institutions about the value of Italy's cultural, historical, artistic, and natural heritage, in order to preserve it for future generations.

Among the "Places of the Heart" of the twelfth edition is Valenza with the Oratory of San Bartolomeo.

On the website www.iluoghidelcuore.it, or by typing "fai i luoghi del cuore" into the search engine, you can vote and support the Oratory of San Bartolomeo as your most beloved place until April 10, 2025.