Located halfway up the "Castle" hill, among the lush greens of cypress and horse chestnut trees, the Oratory of San Biagio is a testament to the religiosity of a small community.
Walking along a dirt path less than a kilometer long, from the Church of Grumolo to the Chiesetta di S. Biagio, one reaches the first hills of Bregonze, in a charming place among the most picturesque in Vicenza.
Historical Notes
The church has very ancient origins, possibly dating back to around the year 1000, although there are no written documents confirming the construction date, only some archaeological clues. In fact, during the restoration of the Chiesetta from 1980 to 1982, a worked stone of probable Lombard or otherwise high medieval origin was discovered by chance.
The church is mentioned for the first time in 1297 in the "Rationes decimarum," that is, in the reports of papal tithes, and later, in 1361, in the will of a certain Bartolomeo son of Guglielmo.
Inside the church, one can immediately notice the decorated walls and the splendid cycle of frescoes in the presbytery and the apse. On the north wall, there is a small altar from 1871 dedicated to Our Lady of Health.
The ancient atmosphere of the place is also given by the ceiling with five wooden trusses.
A plaque commemorates the moment of its consecration by the Bishop of Padua, Pietro Barozzi, which took place in 1503.
The bell tower, very picturesque and with a simple square plan, is accessible only on the days of St. Biagio, using an old wooden ladder.
Its Treasures
Before entering the church, one can pause to admire the small external chapel, restored to its former glory with the Pestauro of 1981-83, which managed to recover much of the frescoes from decay: the scene of the crucifixion with the Madonna, Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross, Saint Anastasia, and Saint Peter.
Some frescoes from the primitive spatial organization of the church still remain (dating from 1320 to 1350): they are the three figures of San Biagio, Saint James, and Saint Anthony the Abbot depicted on the south side near the altar. The frescoes on the north wall date back to the second half of the fifteenth century.
The images of Saint Roch and Saint Bernardino of Siena, in a posture of prayer towards the "Madonna in Throne with the Child," are particularly striking. The same could be said for the nearby painting of another "Madonna with the Child," a votive offering from some noble landowning family. Painted by an unknown but decidedly skilled artist, the "Risen Christ" and the nearby figure of the "Dead Christ." Above the apse arch, attributed to a provincial author with a less skilled hand, the Eternal Father is enclosed in a circle and the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation.
The Polyptych
The jewel of this hermitage is the beautiful polyptych of San Biagio, created around the second decade of the 1400s and recently attributed to the great Venetian painter known as "Master of the Correr Altarpiece."
It is a pictorial and sculptural complex consisting of a gilded, gothic-shaped frame, divided into seven compartments with the splendid wooden statuette of San Biagio at the center and six exquisitely crafted panels painted on a gold background on the sides.
Currently, the original Polyptych is displayed, for security reasons, at the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, while a copy can be seen in the Chiesetta di S. Biagio.
Inside the Sacristy, there is an exhibition on the history of the Chiesetta, organized by the A. Bassi elementary school of Grumolo Ped.te, featuring illustrations and research done by the students.
