Prunetto
The Sanctuary of Madonna del Carmine
The former parish church of San Lorenzo, built together with the adjacent castle in the 14th century, was transformed in 1928 into a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine, sparking controversy between the municipality and the parishioners. Inside, it preserves a remarkable series of frescoes created by various artists between the 15th and 16th centuries, depicting religious scenes and processions of saints, executed with artistic mastery, evidence of the profound local popular devotion.
Between Levice, Monesiglio, and Mombarcaro, surrounded by the Bormida di Millesimo River and the Uzzone stream, the town of Prunetto has a history dating back at least to 967, when it was included in the territory of the Aleramic March. Subsequently, in the 10th and 11th centuries, mention is made of possessions by the bishops of Savona at the court of Prunetto, followed by the rights of the Benedictine Abbey of San Quintino di Spigno Monferrato in the 13th century. During this period, the “castrum” of Prunetto (whose fortified castle, occupying a dominant position, can still be admired today), along with the villa and surrounding land, were part of the Del Carretto family’s possessions. They maintained it for centuries, when it was elevated to a marquisate with Levice, until it passed into the control of the Scarampi family. The castle, built on a rock and still featuring late medieval mullioned windows and a 14th-15th-century bas-relief sculpture depicting the devices of the Del Carretto family, was transformed from a simple fortress into a fortified residence for the local lords until 1560.
Despite Prunetto’s geographical proximity to the ancient parish church of Gottasecca, medieval documents on its religious history are lacking. However, in the modern period, the municipality displayed a complex ecclesiastical structure, with several chapels and oratories scattered throughout the area.
The ancient parish church, dedicated to San Lorenzo, and the adjacent castle of the Marquises of Del Carretto were likely built together around the 14th century. At the end of the 16th century, the original church was still mentioned as being located near the castle, with an adjacent cemetery. Its title was lost following disputes among the citizens, when a new parish church was built in the center of the modern town. This event led to the closure of the original church, which remained inaccessible for a long time. In 1928, at the initiative of the Bishop of Mondovì, the original church was elevated to the status of sanctuary and dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. However, this decision sparked heated controversy for several years between the city council, the parishioners—divided between those living in the valley and those in the older hilltop settlement—and the parish priest himself.
The Sanctuary of Madonna del Carmine
The church has undergone several transformations over the centuries: originally, the entrance was located on the north side, while the current altar dates back to a 17th-century expansion. However, it still retains sculptural decoration on the capitals of the central nave, dating back to the 13th century, decorated with leaves, birds, and a bas-relief belt at the base. Today, the building has three naves, with a single semicircular apse at the end of the central nave, the main nave. Despite the renovations, it still retains original elements from the early medieval period, such as the sculptural decoration on the capitals of the columns in the central nave, adorned with motifs of leaves, birds, and a bas-relief belt at the base.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine reveals a rich array of iconographic themes that unfold along the walls, vaults, arches, and every structural recess, revealing a profound popular devotion. The votive and devotional intentions of the late medieval pictorial decoration are perpetuated over time thanks to the considerable number of modern votive offerings, in the form of small panels and relics, testifying to the continuity of devotion to Carmine after its conversion into a sanctuary.
Rich decorative elements frame the scenes and serve as fillers, such as the frames decorated with red and white geometric flowers and the faux-vair motif adorning the wall of the modern entrance on the right. The poor state of conservation, caused by humidity, makes it difficult to fully appreciate the tones and shades of the original pigments, which appear faded and altered.
The vault of the right nave depicts the Four Evangelists, followed on the wall by a series of Saints, including Anthony the Abbot, Catherine, Lawrence, and Secundus. Also particularly striking are two panels vividly depicting the Temptations of Saint Anthony. The next bay features a votive panel of the Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, while the vault features Christ Pantocrator, holding the globe in his left hand and raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing. This is followed by the Virgin Annunciate, the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, and a new series of Saints: Roch, Sebastian, and Anthony the Abbot. Finally, there is a panel depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Agatha, a highly dramatic work, depicting the cutting off of her breasts as part of the saint’s torture. This painting was likely privately commissioned in thanksgiving for a probable recovery.
The left nave, in the soffit, features Saints Peter and Bernard of Clairvaux, rendered with high pictorial quality and arranged within intricate Gothic arches, in keeping with the cultural climate of Mondovì, and the Venerables Anthony the Abbot and Bernardino of Siena, in the entrance pillars.
The pictorial decorations are attributed to several artists, who appear to have divided the task of decorating the church, transforming it into a vibrant melting pot of influences between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Among the anonymous painters, Segurano Cigna stands out, the only one to sign his works with his name and the date. He is responsible for the decorative work covering the third and fourth bays of the left nave, dated 1478.
The back wall features the Crucifixion in the lunette and a series of Saints placed between the Madonna and Child, constructed as if in a mock polyptych.
The Four Doctors of the Church enliven the vault (Jerome, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, and Augustine), and the Four Virtues (Charity, Temperance, Hope, and Fortitude) are depicted in the archway dividing the two naves. The next space is dominated by the figure of Christ Pantocrator, surrounded by the Four Evangelists and Saint Secundus, protector of the city of Asti, as suggested by the model of the city he holds. The now worn cartouche informs us of the work’s authorship, attributed to a painter now well-established in the area. The compositional model of the Madonna and Child enthroned, flanked by saints, is attributable to one of Segurano Cigna’s characteristic stylistic features, also repeated in other pictorial scenes at the same Prunetto site. On a pillar dividing the third chapel from the central nave, Saint Agatha reappears next to a small depiction of Christ in Pietà. Unfortunately, the demolition of part of the masonry prevents full appreciation of what was probably originally a fake polyptych.