Chiesa di San Gaudenzio

San Gaudenzio ChurchOriginally, San Gaudenzio´s church was located outside the town's walls. The first historical documents about it date back to the 14th century. In 1329 the church is mentioned as a parish.

At the end of the 16th century the church was closed to the congregation because it was in terrible condition. In the second half of the 17th century it was completely restored to become the building it is today. In the 19th century, the graveyard was moved to the right of the church in order to be outside of the town walls, as was ordered by the napoleonic Saint Cloud edict.

Today the fa?ade is characterized by a large entrance door with an ancient circular opening overhead, standing between two pilasters. The tympanum, with a terracotta sculpture of St. Gaudenzio in the centre, decorates the linear fa?ade, from which the small triangular steeple peeks out.

The church kept its original interior structure, composed by a single central nave with four lateral chapels. Behind the main altar stands the superb wooden crucifix, work of Carlo Giuseppe Plura from Lugano (1655-1737).

The underground crypt is covered by paved stone, in the middle of the presbytery. Here, up until the 19th century, was were Agliè´s priests were buried. On the right side, the first chapel was once property of the Counts of Pavignano, while the second belonged to the Mautino and Danesio families (here Guido Gozzano is buried). In front of that, on the opposite side of the church, there are the Bioletto family's chapel and the Prola family's chapel.