Stages of Christianity:
The Hill of Canoscio

[ 6/12/05: 1 page, 8 photos ]

Ask an Umbrian Catholic, and you'll learn about the Shrine of the Madonna of Canoscio: the large mid‑19c neoclassical church, attractively sited on the very top of the hill, is a regional pole of Marian piety dating back to the fourteenth century and recently proclaimed a minor basilica by John Paul II.

[ 6/12/05: 1 page, 12 photos ]

Much earlier than the Santuario of the Madonna is the Pieve dei SS. Cosma e Damiano, a large, sturdy 13c Romanesque church with some unusual frescoes that make it well worth a visit. Maybe more importantly, they make it worth repairing the building before the paintings are irrecoverably lost to water infiltration: can funds be found?

Earlier still in the life of Christendom is Canoscio's most celebrated artistic and religious treasure, the fame of which extends world-wide, far eclipsing that of the hill's two churches, at least among scholars of Late Antiquity: the 6c paleochristian hoard of Canoscio, found here in the 1930's, is a silver dinner service of 25 beautiful pieces either made or refurbished for liturgical use, and gives us a precious insight into ancient Christianity. The set is now exhibited in the Museo del Duomo of Città di Castello, which is, partly because of it, the best of the three main museums in that town. Since photography there is not allowed, I can't show them to you, and you'll have to see it in person; the museum's website devotes a page to it, with several photographs among the links in the text.