Parish Church of St. James the Greater (Chiesa parrocchiale di San Giacomo Maggiore)

Highlights

Built around 1450, later renovated in the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries.

When the Chapter of Vezzolano, in 1226, invested the Marquis of Monferrato with the Castle of Albugnano, it reserved a site to build a church next to a fortress, we can assume that St. James was built around 1450, that is, after the destruction of the fortress in 1401.

In fact in it we find the characters of the late Romanesque and in the pointed arch of the central arches and in the raising of the walls on the arches for the impost of the vault, although it is ceiling-mounted.

However, the eye is not easily oriented to reality, because the church also bears distinct characters of the early Romanesque, namely: basilica plan, composed of a rectangle divided by two rows of columns into three naves of equal spans; the central arches on columns surmounted by collar and simple abacus; the side arches instead full-center on cubiform capitals, with prominent vaults; a single central vaulted apse, without a transverse nave and bell tower.

Since all the exterior walls having been demolished and the façade redone, we no longer have any clues about the windows and the shape of the apse; we know only that the roofing was two pitches on each side and that a small window, full-center and with little splay, stood at the head of the side ships.

The old church internally measures, not including the apse, 16.30 by 10.20 meters; the central nave is 4.10 meters wide and the side ships 2.20, excluding the columns.