CHURCHES AND SHRINES

Thanks to the imminent diffusion of the Christianity on the euganeo’s territory it has given life to the architectural-religious numerous works and to places of cult.

• The Abbey of Praglia is situated in the common of Teolo on the feet on Mountain Lonzina. Drawn of a very ancient Benidictine monastery founded in XI century thanks to the nobile family of the Maltraversi (from Vicenza).The monastery on the back on the left is composed by four cloisters: double or of the seclusion, botanic, hanging and rustically. Another striking enviroment is the monumental refectory, where to the interior there is a big “Crucifixion” painted by Bartolomeo Montagna at the end of 1400s. Today, the Abbey of Praglia, is still inhabited by th Benedectine Monks, and she hosts inside the National Museum Library that contains about 100.000 volumes. The superior hall is painted by 17 cloths of G. B. Zelotti a painter of the slow Sixteenth century, other cloths of the same artist are in the refectory.
• The ancient Church of S. Antonio Abate is in the Mountain of the Madonna in Teolo, she has been built on the remains of an ancient monastery and it is a dedication to S. Antonio Abate; this last one has always been considerated defence protector of the breeders and of the domestic animals. The church rises near a natural cave, where inside the Euganei Hills there is one of the more elevated springs of water. According the tradition between the VIII and the IX century there lived Santa Felicita, who would have renounced a life of comfort and wealth to lead a life or hermit. His spoils were buried in the Basilica of Santa Giustina in Padua.
• The Church of Beata Vergine of the Healt is situated in Este. The imagine of Beata Vergine Maria con il Bambino Gesù (Beata Vergine Mary with baby Jesus Christ) was made paint in 1626 from Giovanni Antonio Capovino (priest 1642). The population began to venerate the Holy imagine like miracolous following some events verified between July 1638 and June 1639, where they had provoked astonishment and great devoutness so much that asked itself forthe protection mediated the construction of a building of cult. At the beginning the imagine was called “Madonna dei Miracoli” (“Madonna of the Miracles”) then in the third decade of the Eight hundred, there prevailed the headline of “Madonna della Salute” (“Madonna of the Health”), since there was the wish of he dean of the Cathedral Gaetano Rizzardi died on May 17 1834 and buried by request of the people in the area of the presbytery of the Church.

• The Chucrh of San Sabino is the symbol and barycentre of the nucleus of Torreglia Alta, and it is the first and the ancient parochial Church cited in a document of 1212. The Church rises between two valleys: the Valderio and the Vallorto on the Hill of the Mira. The Bell-tower derives from the placename of Turricola, which as given origin to the name of the Country. The Church of Sain Sabino goes up again to 1200s and turns out to be to the dependences of the Parish of Luvigliano; in the following centuries it became parochial. It has been rebuilt in XVII century following a deterioration of his buildings and in 1765 it has been restored in the present shapes, thanks also to the economic support of the famous priest and cultured Jacopo Facciolati, son more importantly of Torreglia.
• The Church of San Bartolomeo is situated in the hamlet of Valnogaredo, a fraction of Belt Euganeo, on the Euganei Hills. It was considerated one of the more important and interesting religious monument in Veneto on the Seven hundred; the foundation is tied to the presence of the nobile venetian family of Contarini that from the XV century were possessing in this zone wide land possessions. The Contarini made building the Church with the rectory near their habitation called “Villa Contarini” that anchor today rapresents the most impirtant par of the country.
• The Church of San Giorgio rapresents the most important point of Tramonte, a fraction of Teolo. The country in on a basin of the Euganei Hills an it is put down with care about three hills: the Boscalbò, the Lonzina and the Sengiari. Tramonte, in contrast to the other villages of the Euganeo territory, is not contained around a square, but sorrounded by houses and villas. She is enclosed by some engraved stones to the works of restoration of 1934. In the same Hill we can find traks of fundament of dikes of the ancient and medieval castle of Maltravesi, that is the founder of the Praglia’s Abbey. During the Napoleonic period the seat of the parish was carried to Santa Maria di Praglia. In these years the curch was careless and in 1873 they made themself important values of restoration and modifications to the structure: the nave had raised, two altars in wood had redone in marble and some years later there was rebuilt the bell tower that took the present shape of embattled tower. The seat of the Curch of Tramonte returned to Praglia and San Giorgio became of support.

• The Church of San Martino is sited in the heart of the centre of Este, to few long passes of Piazza Maggiore (Greater Square) along the road Principe Umberto. The first documents that testify to the presence of the Church go up again at the beginning of XI century, but certainly his foundation is even more ancient: some scholars connect it in Longobard or Carolingian age, which there derives the name San Martino Tours who was french bishop lived in VI century A.D. The apse has been widened at the beginning of 1300s supplementing the little Church of San Lorenzo, while in ‘600 the central body of the church has been lengthened about of 4 metres and subdivided in three naves, including the bell tower. The front to hut makes admiring the purely Romanesque architectural style and the structure of the apse is composed by a cylindrical drum with hemispheric dome and roof to cone. The most visible element of the Church of San Martino is the hanging bell tower, which results to have a really ancient structure of the whole monument. On a side of the bell tower there is a Gothic enrollment that celebrates the figure of the Holy one from which the name of the Church has been taken and brings back the year of rebuilding of the building in 1923. Not to forget any works of art: in the greatest chapel we can find the altar of the Six hundred in marble with tabernacle and two sculptures of “Angeli” (“Angels”) of Antonio Bonazza, on the left nave the sixteenth century altar is placed in stained marbles of the Rota’s family. Represented statues are: Holy Stefano, Holy Rocco and Holy Sebastiano where now they are to the National Museum Atestino.
• The Church of San Martino is sited in Luvigliano, fraction of Torreglia; her foundation goes up again to the Carolingian age, even if the first document goes up in the year 1077. The Chucrh underwent different amplifications, adding the baptistery and the cemetery, until in 1474 it ws demolished and rebuilt in the place in which it is on the day of today; this decision was taken by the Bishop of Padua Jacopo Zeno, who had fallen in love with the hill where the Chucrh was rising and he ordered what is should build a house for the prelates.
• The Curch of Santa Giustina is parish seat of Teolo, it sited in one of the most elevated points of the country, on the slopes of Monte della Madonna. The Church has undergone a first restoration in 1310 and in the 1400 there was started the construction of the high bell tower, isolated from the Church and in Romanesque style. The sacred building was widened between 1851 and 1853 putting the opening of lateral chapels and adding the baptistery. To the interior two shovels of the altar of the seventeenth century of Francesco Apollodoro and Pietro Liberi can be admired, and two sculptures that represent two holys of Tommaso Bonazza and Francesco Rizzi.
• The Church of San Biagio is sited in Castelnuovo of Teolo, an hamlet on the feet on Monte Venda. Anciently the Church was collocated faraway somewhat of the present seat, on the Stone of San Biagio, a rocky spur where the family of Maltravesi had made building a castle for the military control of the zone. The works of construcion of the Church were guided in 1584 and in 1604, the Bishop Marco Corner attributed the headline of the ecclesiastic jurisdiction, to the present cult building; the bell tower was raised at the beginning of 1900s.

• The Curch of Santa Giustina is also called Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral) o Monselice. This ancient Chucrh is entitled as the Paduan protomartyr, it is one of the places of cult more precious and rich in the history of Monselice; there is long the Road of the Sanctuary of the Seven Little Churches and of the Mastio Federicano. The Church is in Romanesque style and is placed side by side by a high embattled bell tower that presents Gothic decorative elements. The interiori is presented by an only great nave, in the centre is the quadrangular apse and at last we can find two lateral chapels. On the walls of the apse frescoes of fourteenth century can be admired; on the greatest we can find the Polyptych of Santa Giustina of the Venetian school of XV century. There are present others oeuvres in the Church, like: the 15th century board that represents the Madonna of the Humbleness, the 16th century statue of Santa Giustina, a Roman funerary stele of the I century A. D., four 18th century marmorean bas-reliefs and many cloths of Venetian school of 1600s and of 1700s.

• The Cathedral of Santa Tecla is he most important church in Este and it is also the more ancient place of Christian cult of the small town. Her foundation goes up again to IV-V century A. D. They were found again of the preexistent remains of a religious building and there was built the first church dedicated to Santa Tecla (or a virgin and martyr of Anatolia – Turkey). During the years and the centuries the religious building has undergone many interventions and rebuilding in fact, the present structure is of baroque origin and it contains to the interior a great number of works of art as: “la Pala del Tiepolo” (“The Shovel of the Tiepolo”) and the “Composizione scultorea” (“Scultural Composition”) of the Corradini, the both works are of origin 18th century. During the medieval epoch the construction had grown progressively and the Church managed to have five naves. The archpriest Francesco Antonio Francazani wanted to do the invertion from the apse, or to turn the apse towards East and the entry to West. During the works of restauration carried out from 1583 until 1592 the front, according to Vincenzo Scamozzi, was rebuilt towards the new centre that had been created around the little squares and the Piazza Maggiore (Greatest Square). A strong earthquake struck the religious building in 1688, damaging the Church in radical way and the complete demolition was necessary. To realise the new contruction delegate Antonio Gaspari came, venetian architect collaborator of Longhena, who planned a unique of its kind architectural work. The works began in 1690 with the laying of the first stone from the Bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, but the works continued up to the third decade of 1700s with wonderful works that did not carry nevertheless the execution of the front, wich according to Gaspari’s project had to be covered by marmles and statues. The front now present itself completely restored with a majestic aspect in brick structure at sight face and with 3 frontal openings.

HERMITAGES

• The Hermitage of Santa Maria Annunziata is sited in Monte Rua, in the common of Torreglia on the centre of Euganei Hills. According to some documents his foundation is due to two hermits belonging to the community of S. Mattia of Murano, where in 1339 they obtained the permission of the bishop of Padua to build the Church in memory of the Madonna. The very big and imposing walls contain 14 cells; to the interior there are a chapel, an altar, a bath and a woodshed; to the outside a little vegetable garden enclosed by a wall, the gate in iron that separates it from the guestroom that there was made build the family of Contarini in 1550. During the years the hermitage was widened since it was a symbol of spirituality of thewhole zone of the Veneto. To the day of today the hermitage is lived by the Friars Camaldonesi in Seclusion, but in particular periods of the year the monks accept external visits from the relatives.

• The Hermitage of Santa Domenica is in the common of Monselice precisely on the Monte Ricco where there was built a monastery and a church dedicated to San Giovanni Evangelista. In 1920 the Count Vittorio Cini made building in this place the most beautiful villa with fountains, terraces and garden; in 1974 the villa was given from the Count to the Smallest Conventual Friars, asking that it was called “Eremo di Santa Domenica” (“Hermitage of Santa Domenica) in memory of the grandmother to which the Count was inspired. The friars at the beginning used the structure to hold and to treat of the ills, later the structure became a spiritual place. Today a community is present where the youth is assisted with different problems.

• The Wreckage of the Monastery of the Olivetani is on the summit of Monte Venda, in a difficult place to be reached but with great landscape suggestion and with a mystic atmosphere. Of the immense Monastery of San Giovanni Battista del Venda there can still see each oder parts of the church, the bell tower and the crypt, saved from the collapse thanks to recent restoration interventions. After the half of the 14th century the Monastery lived a crisis period and in 1380 the Bishop of Padua decided to unite the community of the Venda with the Monks Olivetani, or an aaristoctaric Benedectine congregation. The union gave new spiritual and economic rush to the Monastery, which was widened in the structures with the wide landed plots of land. The existence of the Monastery concluded in 1771 when the Republic of Venice decreed the suppression, the monk made transferring and it auctioned all the possessions, which passed the property to the family Errizzo. The buildings wered used as a shelter place for shepherds and unfortunately they fell very quickly on collapse.

• The Oratory of Santa Croce is in Cervarese in Padua and has been most ancient place of Christian cult. Are dating from 874 the first documents written by the diocese of Padua; these written documents tell about the donation happened by the Bishop Rorio to the Benedictines of Santa Giustina. In the Slow Middle Ages the decay began until the Venetian ones from XV century made her become a dependent Church of the Parish of Montegaldellaand thay gave it in custody to high clergymen and at last to the seminary of Venice. The building with an only nave, has a plant to shape of cross and on the internal walls it is traces of frescoes that refer different epochs different from 1000 to 1500. This Church substituded that ancient dating from XII – XIII century, the structures has been discovered during archaeological excavatios. The build has been restored in the 80s of last century, now it is used as an hall for meetings and cultural manifestations.