Sale
The Church of Santa Maria and San Siro
The Church of Santa Maria and San Siro is the result of the devotional and "physical" union of two distinct churches: one dedicated to San Siro, documented since 1160 on the old course of the Tanaro River, and a connected chapel in the village, dedicated to Santa Maria. Today, in its Gothic remodel, it retains some 15th-century pictorial interventions in the main chapel and the left nave, which fully reflect the artistic influence of the Pavia court.
Beyond the Bormida River, between the Tanaro and Scrivia rivers, the town of Sale is recognized as an important outpost of the municipality of Pavia, which later came under Milanese rule, with a period of control by Borso d’Este between 1443 and 1470. A significant historical and political episode in the dispute between the Lombard League and the Emperor occurred in Sale itself, when on June 24, 1165, the peace treaty between the people of Tortona and Pavia was signed in the presence of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, precisely on the site of the church of Santa Maria, located within the city walls.
The Church of Santa Maria and San Siro
The current church of Santa Maria and San Siro is actually the result of the devotional and “physical” union of two different churches, one dedicated to San Siro and located extra locum—that is, outside the village (it is documented in 1160 as having been erected on the old course of the Tanaro, outside the town center)—and a chapel in the urban core, adjacent to it, dedicated to Santa Maria. The latter, present since the second half of the 12th century, became a point of reference for the community. Cited as separate again in 1425, the dual title appears documented from the second half of the same century. The uniqueness of this church also lies in the fact that, unlike the other two parishes in the town, San Calocero (16th century) and San Giovanni (10th century), the church of Santa Maria and San Siro was part of the Diocese of Pavia until 1805. This cultural affiliation to the Diocese of Pavia is evident in the artistic choices that embellish the church, as well as in the origins of some of its patrons.
Parish priest Don Stramesi, a precious custodian of Sale’s memories, describes in his memoirs how, at the beginning of the 19th century, the remains of the original church of San Siro were still visible, now reduced to blocks of stone that were reused by the population. In 1936, the church of Santa Maria and San Siro ceased to be a parish and in 1941 it was elected the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia. The suppression of the parish was followed by the demolition of some side chapels; in the mid-16th century, there were eleven chapels, equipped with altars and wall frescoes.
The restoration and renovation works of the early 20th century were overseen by the then archpriest of Pontecurone, Don Franzosi, with the aim of restoring the building to its original appearance. They allowed the re-emergence of some of the splendid late medieval decorations that adorned the walls, vaults, and pillars of the church. Today, the church presents itself in its 14th-15th-century Gothic reconstruction and houses wooden furnishings and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries, the result of charitable work by various lay groups and other Salesian churches that no longer exist.
In its architectural form, the church of Santa Maria and San Siro has been described as similar to the “hall” churches of the Pavia region, particularly in Lomellina. Its construction technique, however, reflects the Cistercian model, evident in the choice of rough stone, the repetition of geometric patterns, the orientation of the quadrangular apse toward the east, and the use of cross vaults with studded pointed arches (a significant comparison is with the nearby Abbey of Santa Maria in Rivalta Scrivia). The Gothic-style façade shows some hints that have previously been interpreted as Renaissance: the three portals, including the larger central one, are framed by refined terracotta arrangements that accentuate their pointed profile. The collapse of the bell tower in 1704 also caused partial damage to the façade, and the only original part remaining is the right portal, characterized by a decoration that defines the architectural flow with a repertoire of geometric terracotta depictions, widespread in the area, such as small crosses and four-petalled rosettes.
Despite later embellishments and additions, the pictorial decoration also contains admirable fragments of late Gothic painting from Lombardy and Piedmont, representing significant points of reference in the vibrant regional period. The 15th-century pictorial interventions in the main chapel and the left nave fully reflect the artistic influence of Pavia and are linked to local patronage, starting with the apse, which presents a remarkable synthesis of the late Gothic style still present at the Sforza court in Pavia. In this section, two skilled masters alternated around 1460, offering extremely sophisticated painting both in its decorativeness and realistic rendering of forms, as well as in its compositional and formal choices. In particular, the vault of the presbytery features, in the ribs, the four Evangelists seated on finely crafted thrones, emerging from a rocky landscape (this decoration overlaps with an earlier decorative scheme that followed the architectural profile of the structure). On the left side wall of the presbytery, within a beautiful floral-motif frame, are two pairs of angels, only partially visible. They were once part of the tomb of the Maggi brothers, as historiographical tradition has it, and were later removed during the Napoleonic era. The Maggi family had patronized the apse chapel dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie since 1456. A wealthy Milanese apothecary must have come from the Maggi family, and it is believed he commissioned a polyptych executed by the Zavattari workshop between 1450 and 1451.
La chiesa custodisce una notevole serie di singoli pannelli votivi, eseguiti tra il XV secolo e l’inizio di quello successivo, come un minuto San Francesco, affrescato nell’estradosso del pilastro che da accesso alla cappella terminante della navata sinistra.
Agli anni Trenta e Quaranta del XV secolo sono assegnabili alcuni mirabili affreschi conservatisi nella cappella ricavata nella quarta campata della navata sinistra: un brano che mostra la Deposizione del Cristo morto e a lato una Crocifissione, quest’ultima con lo stemma della famiglia Ricci, individuata come probabile committente. L’evidente matrice lombarda si riconosce anche nelle due splendide figure di Santi negli sguinci della finestra di questa parete, raffigurati San Sebastiano e un San Bovo o un Santo guerriero, come se fossero una trasposizione monumentale dei celebri tarocchi della corte milanese.
In fondo alla navata sinistra la cappella di San Nicola, associata negli studi anche alla famiglia Calvi, ospita nei due pilastri di accesso i pannelli votivi a sinistra di Sant’Eligio e a destra di Santo Stefano. Il trittico affrescato che occupa parte della parete destra presenta la Vergine in trono attorniata da Sant’Antonio Abate e San Sebastiano, in basso a sinistra due figure oranti, elegantemente vestite. Sopra la cornice corre la data MCCCCLII (1452), seguita da una scritta parzialmente decifrabile («mensis julii presbiter [..] Martianus Caretis»). Il rimando agli interventi pittorici eseguiti a Cassine (San Francesco) e ad altri interventi locali è molto sostenibile: oltre al fregio decorativo della cornice, anche la figura del Sant’Antonio Abate mostra una stringente affinità. Ad una attenta osservazione, si potranno notare le punzonature che motivano la corona della Madonna, le quali esprimono oltre a un gusto raffinatissimo, anche una prassi medievale ancora accuratamente seguita.