Chiesa vecchia

About

The Old Church (Italian: Chiesa Vecchia) is a small church located in the alpine village of Macugnaga in northern Italy, at the foot of Monte Rosa. The church was built in the second half of the 13th century and was dedicated to the Blessed Mary of the Assumption. The church is surrounded by a cemetery where many alpinists, climbers, and writers have been buried or honoured. It is located in the Dorf, a neighbourhood of the village where the Walser people used to live in huts made of larch trunks. Adjacent to the religious building, there is an ancient tree named The Old Linden (Italian: Vecchio Tiglio), which is approximately 700 years old.

The Old Church was the first parish church of Macugnaga. In 1250, Italian Earl Gotofredo married a rich woman, Aldisia, who offered as her dowry the Anzasca Valley in Italy and the Viège Valley in Switzerland. When the two valleys were unified, the population of the Swiss valley moved to Macugnaga since the climate was warmer. After moving, they started to build the Old Church. More precisely, according to a document signed in 1317 AD, the church should have been built in the second half of the 13th century. Since the village did not have an autonomous parish, the aim was to build the second religious building of the Anzasca Valley in which the priest of the nearby parish could perform religious ceremonies. The Old Church was designed as a small building with a structure similar to the existing local constructions. According to the conventions of the time, the apse and presbytery were oriented to the east, while the façade pointed to the west. The building was dedicated to the Blessed Mary of the Assumption; however, the wooden sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary located on the altar does not refer to the Mystery of the Assumption since it was taken from a local chapel. At the end of the 14th century, Macugnaga was granted the opportunity to establish an autonomous parish centered at the Old Church. The church had its properties and was administered by two curators and a custodian.

The Old Church was restored and partially rebuilt in the 16th century because of damage due to hailstorms.

During the renovation work, the local population decided to add an altar dedicated to Saint Theodore as a vow to remain safe from the increasing natural disasters. The permission was granted through an act signed by Josto Albasini, vicar of the nearby parish of Bannio on 16 August 1501. In 1510, the church was enlarged eastwards by building a new apse and a door in the middle of the left side, according to the Gothic style. The original altar, dedicated to Saint Theodore, was replaced by one dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. A new construction was built to solve the problem of burying the corpses during winter when the soil was frozen and covered in snow. This building was a "carnerium", namely a combination of a charnel house and a chapel, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel since he was believed to protect dying souls. The presbytery and the main body of the church were not restored since they remained covered in wood to protect the members of the religious community from the cold temperatures of the winter months. The ceiling of the church also remained made of wooden planks, which were later decorated with portrayals of flowers and animals signed by "Meister Peter Mory von Fryburg", a Swiss artist from Zürich who at the time was living in Macugnaga.

When the restoration was completed, it was decided to reconsecrate the religious building. On 17 June 1523, an auxiliary bishop came to Macugnaga to perform this task and grant indulgences to all those that made offerings during specific religious festivals. To commemorate the date of the consecration, an inscription in Latin was carved under the window located next to the altar, which states: Dies anniversaria huius Ecclesiae agitur dominica prima Maii ("The anniversary day of the church has to be celebrated the first Sunday of May").

Around the 1550s, the church was enlarged by adding three small chapels, one containing the altar dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. In 1580, the altar was destroyed along with the chapel in order to build the new bell tower. When the ecclesiastical authorities approved this project, they ordered the relocation of the altar in a space which would have later become the Saint Rosario chapel.

This renovation included the reconstruction of the entrance door and the building of a porch before the side door; this allowed community members to gather in all weather conditions.

In the following years, bishop Carlo Bascapè came to Macugnaga twice, in 1596 and in 1603. During the first visit, he claimed that the church was lacking liturgical furnishings. During the second visit, he noticed that the local population had not followed his orders to renovate the religious building. From then on, another renovation work was carried out and it was approved by the succeeding bishop Ferrante Taverna during his visit in 1618. The altar was rebuilt together with the altarpiece; the relics, contained in an arm-shaped reliquary, were placed in an ancient tabernacle. Above the altar, in a wooden niche, there was a wooden statue entitled “Virgin Mary with a child in her arms, gilded in an ancient style”.

On 1 January 1639, a fire broke out in the neighbouring area of Dorf, while the Walser community was attending the church service in the Old Church officiated by the parish priest Konrad Humpert. The freezing winter temperatures prevented the local population from using water to stop the fire, which could not be contained. Forty houses were destroyed and the Old Church was slightly damaged. On 19 September 1640, a flood hit Macugnaga and the local Tambach stream burst its banks, covering in mud both the Old Church and the cemetery, which were permanently damaged. After these two natural disasters, the local population worked to protect the church from the natural force of the water and from avalanches. The porch before the door of the church was replaced by a similar construction in stone, and the cemetery was provided with a new entrance gate. The parish priest decided to purchase a house to store the liturgical furnishings and save them from further damage.

In 1687, an avalanche near the Old Church made the surrounding forests thinner, increasing the risk of further avalanche damage. In 1720, the church was struck by lightning. Other floods were recorded in 1755 and in 1772. After further natural disasters, it was decided to build a new parish church in a less vulnerable area. The Old Church remained in function until the new church was consecrated in 1759. From then on, the local population committed to preserving the church with dignity.

The Old Church was the first parish church of Macugnaga. In 1250, Italian Earl Gotofredo married a rich woman, Aldisia, who offered as her dowry the Anzasca Valley in Italy and the Viège Valley in Switzerland. When the two valleys were unified, the population of the Swiss valley moved to Macugnaga since the climate was warmer. After moving, they started to build the Old Church. More precisely, according to a document signed in 1317 AD, the church should have been built in the second half of the 13th century. Since the village did not have an autonomous parish, the aim was to build the second religious building of the Anzasca Valley in which the priest of the nearby parish could perform religious ceremonies. The Old Church was designed as a small building with a structure similar to the existing local constructions. According to the conventions of the time, the apse and presbytery were oriented to the east, while the façade pointed to the west. The building was dedicated to the Blessed Mary of the Assumption; however, the wooden sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary located on the altar does not refer to the Mystery of the Assumption since it was taken from a local chapel. At the end of the 14th century, Macugnaga was granted the opportunity to establish an autonomous parish centered at the Old Church. The church had its properties and was administered by two curators and a custodian.

The Old Church was restored and partially rebuilt in the 16th century because of damage due to hailstorms.

During the renovation work, the local population decided to add an altar dedicated to Saint Theodore as a vow to remain safe from the increasing natural disasters. The permission was granted through an act signed by Josto Albasini, vicar of the nearby parish of Bannio on 16 August 1501. In 1510, the church was enlarged eastwards by building a new apse and a door in the middle of the left side, according to the Gothic style. The original altar, dedicated to Saint Theodore, was replaced by one dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. A new construction was built to solve the problem of burying the corpses during winter when the soil was frozen and covered in snow. This building was a "carnerium", namely a combination of a charnel house and a chapel, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel since he was believed to protect dying souls. The presbytery and the main body of the church were not restored since they remained covered in wood to protect the members of the religious community from the cold temperatures of the winter months. The ceiling of the church also remained made of wooden planks, which were later decorated with portrayals of flowers and animals signed by "Meister Peter Mory von Fryburg", a Swiss artist from Zürich who at the time was living in Macugnaga.

When the restoration was completed, it was decided to reconsecrate the religious building. On 17 June 1523, an auxiliary bishop came to Macugnaga to perform this task and grant indulgences to all those that made offerings during specific religious festivals. To commemorate the date of the consecration, an inscription in Latin was carved under the window located next to the altar, which states: Dies anniversaria huius Ecclesiae agitur dominica prima Maii ("The anniversary day of the church has to be celebrated the first Sunday of May").

Around the 1550s, the church was enlarged by adding three small chapels, one containing the altar dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. In 1580, the altar was destroyed along with the chapel in order to build the new bell tower. When the ecclesiastical authorities approved this project, they ordered the relocation of the altar in a space which would have later become the Saint Rosario chapel.

This renovation included the reconstruction of the entrance door and the building of a porch before the side door; this allowed community members to gather in all weather conditions.

In the following years, bishop Carlo Bascapè came to Macugnaga twice, in 1596 and in 1603. During the first visit, he claimed that the church was lacking liturgical furnishings. During the second visit, he noticed that the local population had not followed his orders to renovate the religious building. From then on, another renovation work was carried out and it was approved by the succeeding bishop Ferrante Taverna during his visit in 1618. The altar was rebuilt together with the altarpiece; the relics, contained in an arm-shaped reliquary, were placed in an ancient tabernacle. Above the altar, in a wooden niche, there was a wooden statue entitled “Virgin Mary with a child in her arms, gilded in an ancient style”.

On 1 January 1639, a fire broke out in the neighbouring area of Dorf, while the Walser community was attending the church service in the Old Church officiated by the parish priest Konrad Humpert. The freezing winter temperatures prevented the local population from using water to stop the fire, which could not be contained. Forty houses were destroyed and the Old Church was slightly damaged. On 19 September 1640, a flood hit Macugnaga and the local Tambach stream burst its banks, covering in mud both the Old Church and the cemetery, which were permanently damaged. After these two natural disasters, the local population worked to protect the church from the natural force of the water and from avalanches. The porch before the door of the church was replaced by a similar construction in stone, and the cemetery was provided with a new entrance gate. The parish priest decided to purchase a house to store the liturgical furnishings and save them from further damage.

In 1687, an avalanche near the Old Church made the surrounding forests thinner, increasing the risk of further avalanche damage. In 1720, the church was struck by lightning. Other floods were recorded in 1755 and in 1772. After further natural disasters, it was decided to build a new parish church in a less vulnerable area. The Old Church remained in function until the new church was consecrated in 1759. From then on, the local population committed to preserving the church with dignity.

The list of parish priests of Macugnaga from 1597 to 1869: