Parish Church of Saints Pietro and Paolo

Address and contacts

Via Sessanta - 42020 San Polo d'Enza
Phone 0039 0522 873598 - Parish of San Polo d'Enza

How to get there

See the indication to reach San Polo d'Enza

Historical notes

The locality where the church is situated used to be called Caviano, and appears in early maps under the name of “Cavilium”.
The church of Caviliano was built alongside an old road, probably already used in Roman times, which followed the course of the Enza River valley.
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is mentioned as far back as the year 980 in a charter by Emperor Otto I. Bishop Adalberto consecrated the church around the middle of the 11th century. Originally the church was dedicated to Saints Peter, Paul, and Mary. In the 15th century it was sometimes referred to as the Church of St. Peter, but the name of St. Paul was subsequently added on a permanent basis. In 1070, the Marquis Boniface of the House Canossa became leaseholder of the church.
In 1210, Bishop Niccolò Maltravesi issued a decree which vested the church of San Pietro e Paolo with the status of a parish church and listed the churches included under its parish. San Pietro e Paolo subsequently appeared as a parish church in the tithe-rolls of 1310 and 1318 and in the register of the Bishop’s curia in 1538.
The church still retains the original basilica-style layout, although it has undergone several alterations over the centuries. In 1664, the structure consisted of one nave and two aisles with a liturgical orientation. When Bishop Picenardi visited the church in 1705, it was decided there was a need for extensive renovation works, which went ahead in 1724. From these and other works, it was discovered that the original floor of the church had been built on much lower level and the stone columns which separated the aisles from the nave were partly buried under the present floor.
The side chapels were added in the 18th century, and it was probably during this time that the altars of the two smaller apses were removed and the old trabeation was replaced with the present brick vault. The precious baptismal font in carved stone with immersion basin is now on display in the glyptograph collection of the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia. Recent excavations have brought to light the ancient subterranean crypt.

Useful link

Parish of San Polo d'Enza