Chiesa San Paolo Apostolo a Novale

The community of Novale, located on the left bank of the Agno River, depended on the parish of Valdagno for almost the entire 16th century. Subsequently, the inhabitants, tired of being subjected to the church of San Clemente in Valdagno, requested and obtained, from Bishop Michele Priuli, during the pastoral visit of 1580, the separation from the mother church and the establishment of an autonomous parish, although the appointment of the first parish priest and the consecration of the church took place only in 1594. With the resignation of the Municipal Administration in May 1924, carried out in accordance with the new laws on territorial reorganization, the territory of Novale was incorporated back into the Municipality of Valdagno. The parish church was rebuilt between 1845 and 1868. The current bell tower, one of the tallest (63.48 meters) and oldest in the Vicenza area, was inaugurated on April 25, 1904, after 10 years of work, which began on April 4, 1894, at the initiative of the archpriest Don Bortolo Chiarello. It replaced the one that collapsed in 1839, which had been temporarily replaced by a wooden framework.