The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria is a beautiful neoclassical church overlooking the village of Acuto.
Its original building dates from the late eleventh century and the building has undergone many changes over the centuries.
The first document that mentions the church is a bull of Pope Boniface VIII in 1290 that granted indulgences to those who had made donations for the renovation of this sacred building.
The first major project of renovation and expansion dates back to 1574.
The second major project, the one that gave it its present form, was funded by the Papal States in 1870 with 17,700 crowns.
The interior is finely decorated with stucco and behind a vase you can see a monarchist star with an eagle (symbol of the monarchy) as opposed to victory by a crow (symbol of the clergy) who is intimidated and loses its droppings.
It wasn’t until 1870, in fact, that the state of Savoy took over the Papal States with the unification of Italy.
Inside the church are works of the eighteenth century such as the main altarpiece depicting the Assumption of the Virgin, the altarpiece of San Maurizio, the picture of San Carlo Borromeo and the tabernacle in cast bronze produced by Ranocchi.
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