The history of Chiesa Ignano 1778
Church of Santa Maria della Villa d'Ignano 1778.
The story from the Vatican archives in Rome.
Parish churches of the diocese of Bologna 1849
The Castle of Ignano stood since ancient times where today stands the oratory dedicated to St. Barbara, and once to St. George. Not far from here, on the summit of a sandstone cliff that rises on the banks of the Setta River, stands a fortified tower of which only the ruins remain. These are miserable reminders of the overbearing feudalism of the early ages and the usurped power of the strong over the weak. The ignorance of the time of the foundation of the current Parish Church of Ignano, and the fact that it is not remembered until after the 13th century, leads one to reasonably believe that the aforementioned Oratory of St. George, although located within the Castle and still called St. George of the Castle today, constitutes the Parish Church; and that after this was destroyed, the current Church of St. Mary was erected as the Parish Church, not far from the Castle. The view from this Oratory is impressive, and it also features a strange monument in the form of a sandstone slab, almost corroded by time, set into the wall to the right of the entrance door, where these words are carved - 1450 AF to build this Ancona at his own expense, and he succeeded.
The rich and powerful family of Ignano, who produced so many famous men from remote times and who shone with their wealth to the point of emulating the richest in Italy, came from this Castle and perhaps gave it its name with its dominion. It appears from the books of the public land registry of 1281, that although this family was divided into several branches, yet only Giovanni da Ignano, who was Podestà of Alessandria in 1298; Captain and Podestà of the same city in 1302; Captain of Milan in 1304; and Captain of Rome in 1305, possessed land registry assets for the considerable sum of 9,600 lire - and in 1308 for 21,000 lire, a huge sum for those times, and which made him, it was said, one of the richest Lords of Italy.
From here also deduced and existed at this time the families of a Francesco di Petrizolo with an estate value of 3,000 lire - and Gio. Donato di Fra Francesco (perhaps a Knight of the Order of Penance) had the same. The estate value of Jacopo d'Ignano doctor rose to that of 6,000 lire. How such immeasurable riches disappeared from the d'Ignano family is unknown, but it is well to suspect, that in 1328 and 1334, a Luca and a Francesco da Ignano found themselves included among the Factionaries and Bandits from Bologna, and they turned to ruin, overwhelmed, as was the era of that time, by stronger supporters of the opposing faction. - It is therefore well to believe that the said Castle of Ignano rose to a prosperous state, if it was inhabited by such powerful and rich families. Nor did it perhaps decline until the Counts of Panico, overwhelming all their neighbors with power, reduced them and their lands to subjection, only to be later, as they were by Bologna, prostrated by large Municipalities.
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In 1378, this church was subject to the pieve (plebanato) of Panico, from whose jurisdiction it passed to that of San Martino di Caprara after the latter was elevated to the rank of plebanal church in 1603, remaining under it to this day. Its right of patronage (juspatronatus) always belonged to the Mensa of the Archbishopric of Bologna. According to a pastoral visit on September 7, 1544, by Monsignor Agostino Zanetti, Bishop of Sebaste in partibus and suffragan of Cardinal Alessandro Campeggi, two other churches were united with the church of the village of Ignano: namely, San Giovanni Battista di Pariano and San Giorgio di Castello, both existing since at least 1378. The former was later detached and reduced to a simple benefice; the latter remained permanently joined to the mother church, essentially serving as its subsidiary.
This church was rebuilt with fine architecture around the middle of the 18th century. It features three bays, two of which comprise the nave, while the third houses the high altar. In addition to the latter, it contains two side altars. The altarpiece of the high altar depicts the Assumption of Mary; the secondary altars are dedicated one to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, the other to Saint Joseph. It also has a baptismal font. The facade of the church faces east, and above the main portal, engraved in black stone, reads the following inscription:
D.O. M. TEMPIO . VETERE . HVMILITER . CONSTRVCTO
INJVRIA . TEMPORVM . COLLABENTE
NOVUM . HOC . CVM . SACRAR . IN . AVGVSTIORE . FORMA
AERE . EX . ELEMOSIN . CONSVET . COLLECT . AG
R . D . D . FRANCISCI . FABA . RECTORIS. NEG. NON. PARROCHIARVUM
PIA. LIBERALITATES. A . FVNDAMENTIS . EXCITATVM . FVIT
PICTISQVE . TABVLIS . ORNATVM
A . D . MDCCLXII .
The bell tower, of fine design, was erected in 1778 and is furnished with three bells. This church lies 14 miles from Bologna, within the district of Marzabotto. The parish is governed by the excellent priest Don Antonio Maria Poggioli, and the number of parishioners amounts to only about three hundred. It borders to the east on the parishes of Vado, Monterumici, and Badolo; to the west on San Silvestro and Panico; to the north on Canovella; and to the south on Casalia di Caprara.
It has two oratories: one dedicated to Saints Giorgio and Barbara, which, as stated, currently serves as a subsidiary to the parish church and was perhaps once the original parish church of Ignano; the other, sacred to Saints Joseph and Dominic, stands in a place called Lama di Setta and currently belongs to Mr. Domenico Stanzani. Both are of great benefit and convenience to the population and to the parish priest for administering the sacraments, especially to those dwelling at the summit of the mountain or across the Setta River.
Dr. AURELI
