The Abbey of S. Zeno was called "Minor" because it depended on the greater Abbey of S. Zeno in Verona.
In 1067, Matilde of Canossa donated the county to the Abbot of S. Zeno and the nearby abbey, which were part of a larger architectural religious complex. The possessions were confirmed and recognized in subsequent centuries by Frederick Barbarossa, Pope Urban III, and the Republic of Venice "Serenissima".
Its origin as a place of worship dates back to the 7th-8th century, as evidenced by the finds unearthed during excavations of a barbaric-Lombard necropolis and the “treasure” of Cellore, consisting of funeral furnishings, now preserved in the Museum of Castelvecchio.
Behind the current architectural structure, there are several unknown aspects repeatedly reported by historical sources: important burials (in 1135, De Nicolis buried their family members, with permission from the abbot of Cellore), covered frescoes, stratifications, decorations, as well as the current “false” spatial distribution.
The facade, facing the square, is the result of truncation carried out in 1878 for the construction of the nearby Parish Church, while the original is on the opposite front. Part of this is still visible: the ridge of the roof with an iron cross from the outside, and from the inside, the circular “eye” window typical of country churches.
The interior has a single nave with a trussed roof.
In this sacred place, Francesco Morone and Girolamo Dai Libri collaborated: in the apse on the right side is the Annunciation, topped by the figure of God, with the figures of the four Evangelists on the sides. These frescoes date back to 1517 and are of considerable importance in Renaissance Veronese painting. From recent restorations, portions of frescoes from different eras, decorative parts, and extended-armed crosses have emerged. Among them, the most important depicts St. Zeno fishing and Galienus's messengers, which, in terms of symbolism, is reminiscent of one of the bronze panels of St. Zeno Maggiore in Verona, attributed to the Third Master.
