The history of the parish church of Sant'Antonio Abate

The confraternity chapel of Sant'Antonio Abate in Valstagna was a building dependent on the priory of Oliero, sustained by income from a small alabaster quarry. This primitive chapel was later replaced by a new one, built between 1494 and 1515 under the presence of Bishop Pietro Barozzi. It was consecrated in 1515 and became an autonomous parish church in 1552.

In 1115, the area of Valstagna broke free from the jurisdiction of the priory of Valle San Floriano, when the ancient church of San Biagio was elevated to parish status. In 1227, the church passed under the influence of the monastery of Campese. The first stone of the current parish church was laid in 1757, and construction was completed in 1764. The church was consecrated in 1861 and granted the title of archpriest church in 1870.

Following severe damage during the First World War, the structure underwent a radical restoration in 1919. In January 2008, a portion of the ceiling collapsed and was repaired starting in 2009. The interior, built in the Venetian Renaissance style, preserves valuable works such as a 1530 painting of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Jacopo and Francesco Da Ponte, a wooden crucifixion by Marco Michelin of Valstagna, and a painting of the Deposition of Christ, possibly by Palma the Younger.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons