Saliceto
The Sant’Agostino Oratory
The Oratory of Sant'Agostino in Saliceto, now converted into community space (including a bowling alley), preserves pictorial evidence of the presence of the Disciplinanti Bianchi since at least the late 15th century, with frescoes also depicting the hagiography of Saint Bernardino of Siena. Near the hamlet of Lignera, the former parish church of San Martino preserves its apse area, entirely and skilfully frescoed, while the chapel of the Del Carretto castle preserves a Tuscan-style pictorial cycle executed in the late 14th century, testifying to the refined patronage of the marquis.
The town of Saliceto, located on the border between Liguria and Piedmont along the Bormida River, first appears in documentary sources in an Ottonian diploma of 967. Over the course of the 10th century, the bishops of Savona gradually acquired rights over the territory. In 1033, on the occasion of the founding of the monastery of Santa Maria di Castione near Parma, rights over Saliceto itself are also mentioned, while further land donations in the area are noted in the foundation diploma of the Benedictine Abbey of Ferrania, dating back to before 1191. A fiefdom of the del Carretto family, they received imperial investiture for Saliceto in 1496, but by the end of the 16th century, the territory had come completely under the rule of the Savoy dynasty.
The territorial fragmentation and the presence of different entities in the area are also confirmed by ecclesiastical documentation, which indicates the presence of numerous churches and chapels within the municipal boundaries since at least the 17th century. Among these, we remember the church of Sant’Elisabetta delle Umiliate in the capital, the church of the Vergine della Consolazione, later dedicated to San Michele oltre il fiume Bormida and the church of the Vergine della Neve (remembered as “very conspicuous”).
The Sant’Agostino Oratory
In the heart of the town stands the Oratory of Sant’Agostino, transformed into community space. Inside, there is a small quadrangular chapel (perhaps the ancient sacristy?) in reasonable condition. This sacred space is part of the original building, which was expanded over time to its current configuration. However, its construction origins are still being investigated, as there is a lack of reliable historical documentation and in-depth analyses that could clarify its construction context. In 1575, a note mentions the building as having no income, thus providing a temporal reference for a specific phase of its existence.
During the Baroque period, significant interventions were undertaken to improve the church’s architectural appearance, complicating the process of determining the building’s original appearance. The beautiful current portal, although dating back to the 17th century, is currently unused.
From the 15th century onwards, this church was the seat of the lay brotherhood of the Disciplinanti Bianchi (White Disciplinarians), who are depicted in the fresco as penitents at the foot of the votive scene of the Madonna and Child, which likely originally occupied the apse wall. A local historian, in the early 20th century, collecting information on the town’s historical events, recalls the flagellation of the beaten and the Maundy Thursday procession at the end of the 18th century. However, he does not mention the source of the founding deed of the Disciplinanti, which according to the scholar dates back to 1623.
In the vaults of this chapel, the fresco cycle continues with the symbols of the four Evangelists accompanied by their scrolls, while the intrados features the fathers of the church, including the figures of Saint Ambrose and Saint Jerome. The side walls of the church, on the other hand, narrate the Stories of Saint Bernardino of Siena according to his traditional hagiography, including accounts of the miracles attributed to him after his death, with miniature representations of him in flight.
At the center of the back wall, the Crucifixion is depicted before massive walls, characterized by a dramatic composition. In the register below, the Madonna and Child are flanked by Saints John the Baptist and Vincent Ferrer, a Dominican theologian and itinerant preacher. Along the baseboard, a red curtain recalls the ornamental fabrics found in noble residences, a recurring theme in this late-century painting. Typical decorative elements, such as the plant-filled bands, return, completing the chapel’s pictorial decor. The artist, who is also credited with a panel painting dated 1475, fits perfectly into the culture of anonymous painters active in the areas along the Bormida River, a culture animated by exchanges and influences, and stands out for his excellent ability to realistically portray the surrounding landscape. The Marian portrait in this chapel is related to a fragment of a Madonna and Child, part of an ex-voto, detached and affixed to the tabernacle of the church of San Gervasio e Protasio, locally known as Sant’Anna.
Ancient parish church of San Martino in Lignera
In the hamlet of Lignera, where the original core of the village of Saliceto was located, stands the ancient church dedicated to San Martino, which once served as a gathering place for the local community. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, the current structure of the church of San Martino displays an architectural complexity due to the subsequent addition of separate structures: the original core corresponds to the apse area, characterized by a flat end, which is distinct from the larger nave annexes and the sacristy. On the right side, the bell tower, dating back to the Romanesque period, stands out. In 1969, due to its dangerous leaning, it was dismantled and rebuilt with great care, keeping every single stone intact. Although it was still considered the parish church in 1573, its decentralized location with respect to the town center made it impractical to administer the sacraments to the population. For this reason, the role of main church was assumed by San Lorenzo, one of the few examples of Renaissance architecture in Piedmont, whose construction began between the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
The sacristy of the old parish church preserves a panel dedicated to the Annunciation, accompanied by an inscription dated 1500 and commissioned by a certain Agostino Pliasco (Pregliasco, a very common name in the area). The same theme of the Annunciation to the Virgin is depicted in the triumphal arch leading to the large apse, partially lost in modern renovations. In the entrance arch are painted the miracle-working saints, particularly venerated by the population, arranged in this sequence from right: Saint Lucy, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Sebastian, Saint Apollonia, Saint Dominic, and Saint Anthony the Abbot.
The apse is completely frescoed, masterfully detailed, and is arranged across three distinct registers: the lower section features the customary red-ground plinth, while the central register depicts the Twelve Apostles against monochrome or arabesque-decorated backgrounds. The lunettes above narrate the Stories of Saint Martin of Tours, the church’s patron saint, presented sequentially in various settings. The vault features the Doctors of the Church in the rib vaults, with the symbols of the Four Evangelists in the end corners. At the center is a blessing Christ, accompanied by the Madonna and a praying Saint John the Baptist.
The pictorial decoration, dating back to the early 16th century, is the work of a local master, still anonymous, and his workshop. His clear and eloquent style is manifested through monumental figures with distinctive features and easily recognizable attributes, positioned in the observer’s field of vision, characterized by an inner serenity that is reflected in the richly detailed scenic settings. In the central vault, instead of the usual stone depiction of the Agnus Dei, there is the coat of arms of the Marquises Del Carretto, lords of the place. The presence of a patronage that relied on local artists, interpreters of a visual language accessible and recognized by the population, was considered unique in the area, lending the apse a distinctive character thanks to the complete preservation of its painted decoration.
Shrine of the Del Carretto Castle
In Saliceto, the patronage of the Marquises del Carretto, influenced by the tastes and trends of Ligurian urban centers, was evident a century earlier, around the 1390s, in the private chapel of their castle. This building was gradually erected from the late 13th century as a defensive keep, complete with a moat, drawbridge, and quadrangular walls, and became the epicenter of a refined and cosmopolitan artistic fervor. Stories of the Virgin (Annunciation, Nativity, Imago Pietatis, and Annunciation to the Shepherds) adorn the walls of this small private chapel, while the Trinity with the Tetramorph is skillfully depicted on the barrel vault.
These frescoes, executed with exquisite mastery, reveal the hand of a cultured artist, well-versed in the artistic languages of Giotto and Lombardy, but also sensitive to Ligurian and Tuscan figurative influences. An artistic personality previously undocumented in the Val Bormida area. The extraordinary execution is evident not only in the accomplished and moving interplay between the Virgin and Child, but also in the decorative ornamentation, reminiscent of the most famous mosaic motifs, and in the complex spatial setting. Inside the niche, two extraordinary monochrome heads, in shades of white and gray, portray a female figure and a male or child, crafted with a sculptural awareness clearly referencing Tuscan culture.
The portico of the internal courtyard onto which this refined chapel overlooks features stone capitals adorned with angular leaves and flat-curved volutes, embellished with the emblem of Giovanni I del Carretto. The attention to such detail denotes a profound interest in art, so much so that it justified the arrival of non-local artists, presumably from Lombardy, to enrich the local artistic scene with broader and more cosmopolitan influences, contributing to the complexity and sophistication of the Carretto family’s patronage.