Anfo

THE PARISH OF SAINT PIETRO AND PAOLO

The edifice was erected in the 15th century and renovated in the 16th century. Later, in 1847, it was heightened by two metres and completed during the 20th century following the plan by Marsilio Vaglia.
The interior was decorated during the 19th century. On the triumphal arch the images of the Saints were frescoed with characteristic pictorial patterns remembering the artist Da Cemmo.
In the 16th century, the apse was added and painted with friezes around the cornice and decorations of green and red. Nowadays it is still possible to notice parts of these friezes and decorations from the second floor of the bell tower, which was possibly built in the same epoch using local stone.
In the internal part of the apse, behind the wooden altar-piece by the Boscaì family studio, a fresco of the 16th century was rediscovered. It is attributed to the Romanino school and portrays the Crucifixion. The altar-piece of the main altar is by Grazio Cossali (1630), while the one of the Sacred Heart is by Bertanza (1604).

CHURCH OF SAINT PETRONILLA

The church of Saint Petronilla was built by the citizens of Anfo in the 17th century to fulfill a devotional promise and receive divine protection.

ALPINE CHURCH OF BAREMONE

The Alpine Church of Baremone is located 1,400 meters above the sea and has been built in recent times.

SANCTUARY OF SAINT ANTONIO

The church of Saint Antonio is situated in a truly interesting position. In fact, it dominates the lake and stands out on the road from Valsabbia. In the past this area was on the boarder with the Venetian domination of the 15th century and later with the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom. For these reasons the place is in a nodal point, whose strategic importance is stressed by the presence of the Rocca d’Anfo, which is only a few hundred metres away.
In accordance with popular belief the church dates back to the 11th and 12th century and possibly had a monastic origin. Its foundation should in fact be attributed to the monks of Mt Orsino, Serle (BS), who, being owners of numerous possessions in the villages, traveled to this area in order to reclaim the Pian d’Oneda.
Strictly linked with its geographic position is the hypothesis that the church stands out on a fortified structure and therefore in some way, is a part of a more articulated defensive system. In support of this theory it is interesting the volume “Status e jura ecclesiarum” of 1578, which indicates that the church was “intra fines Anfi, super arcem versus Bagolinarum”.
However these hypotheses regarding its origin remain to be evaluated with careful attention and are far from being definitive.
During its history the church has known more than a single owner: after the decadence of the monastery of Serle, the church passed under the ownership of the monks of Rodengo Saiano (Brescia) who held together the shrine of Saint Giacomo in Caselle. However, the communities of Bagolino and Anfo pressured to control it and in the second half of the 15th century, Bagolino became the owner of the shrine of Saint Giacomo, while Anfo had the control of Saint Antonio as reported in a document dating back to 1447.
After this moment, the church had great relevance during the centuries. The interest of the Republic of Venice in the sanctuary is evidenced by the presence of the lion of Saint Marco painted on the façade. Its well administrated patrimony often compensated the deficiencies of the parish of Anfo. The abundance of alms was possible due to the presence of “restelli”. In fact in Saint Antonio, there was a type of door, where the wayfarers had to pay a toll, providing resources to the church.
Between the 17th and 18th century a hermit resided in the church guaranteeing the maintenance of the edifice. Thanks to periodic restorations the church remained in good conditions until the half of the 19th century when it was subject of vandalism by the Garibaldi soldiers. Then it became a station for the soldiers of the First World War.

Architecture
Archeological excavations executed in the 1960’s showed evidence of some elements which were helpful in the reconstruction of the original church.
In particular, the original 14th century church was smaller than nowadays and was oriented on an east-west axis. The modifications occurred during the 15th century: the raising of the walls, the addition of the apse and another part which changed the axis towards a north-south direction.
The structure of the bell tower is typical of the 14th century as with the fresco found between the vault and the roof on the southern wall of the bell tower. The trussed roof and the fired brick cornice of the garret are characteristic of the 15th century.
In the 16th century Bernardino Lodron commissioned other works in the name of the soul of his wife Polissena Colleoni, showing again the great relevance of this church. Over the next centuries other works were executed: in the 17th century the sacristy was built while more recently, in 1898, was the construction of the staircase of the entrance into the church square.

Pictorial decoration
The adornments of the shrine are extremely interesting. Outside, on the wall that originally appeared as the façade, is painted a large fresco of Saint Cristoforo. This Saint is the patron of the pilgrims and therefore it is the confirmation that the church was located on a communication road. On the façade there are decorative frescoes and a lion of Saint Marco.
The interior shows various frescos and one of them dates back to the 14th century. It is a fragment of Crucifixion painted between the original trussed roof and a lowering made within a vault on the side towards the bell tower. In the middle of the 15th century a Last Supper was painted on the entire wall which was demolished to leave space for the construction of the apse. The apse was decorated towards the end of the 15th century, with a series of frescoes that re-proposed the model of the Cappella Averoldi and kept the style of the frescoes by Giovan Pietro of Cemmo in the church of Saint Rocco in Bagolino. On the vault there is a painting of the Evangelists, their Symbols and the Four Doctors of the Church. On the wall the stories of Saint Antonio Abate were painted.
In the past, this interesting series of frescoes was attributed to Liberale da Verona, Savolto. However, there is a final hypothesis that attributes the realization to Paolo da Cailina il Vecchio, together with Saint Biagio and Saint Marco del Transetto.
The iconographic representation was restored around 1967 by B. Simoni. In fact, the frescoes were completely covered with lime as a consequence by order of the Bishop Giorgio, in a pastoral visit in 1676.

Bibliography

A. FAPPANI, Anfo: S. Antonio, in Santuari nel bresciano. 2. Valle Sabbia, Brescia, 19 .
R. SECCAMANI, La chiesa di Sant’Antonio di Anfo dalle origini al secolo XV, in Studi in onore di U. Vaglia, Brescia, 1989.
P. CASTELLINI, Affreschi inediti sullo schema della cappella Averoldi.
VINCENZO FOPPA, Tecniche d’esecuzione, indagini e restauri, Brescia, 2002.

Thematic Bibliography:

U. VAGLIA, Storia della Valle Sabbia, Brescia, s.d.,
Atlante Valsabbino, Uomini Vicende Paesi, a cura di G. Biati, Brescia 1980.