S. Marco Evangelista Church
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Walking through the historic centre of Borghetto, we come to the Church of San Marco Evangelista, dating back to the 18th century Built on the remains of a Romanesque church..
The village's old place of worship
Walking through the historic centre of Borghetto, we come to the Church of San Marco Evangelista, dating back to the 18th century.
It was built on the remains of a Romanesque parish church from the 11th century and an old Templar preceptory dedicated to Santa Maria. In neoclassical style it has a single nave with a lowered vault.
With permission from the parish priest, it is possible to visit the old cemetery behind the church. Restored in the 1920s by the dedicated and enthusiastic Don L. Dall'Agnola, the cemetery contains the oldest and most significant tombstones of local history and above all allows the visitor to admire the three-sided apse of the ancient Romanesque church with its cloistered layout, the only surviving part of the ancient priory.
In the nearby Torre Scaligera(tower), which together with the crenellated gate bears witness to the ancient fortification of the Castello di Borghetto, a bell chamber was built: one of the bronze bells carries the date 1381 in Gothic letters. The sombre and impressive ringing of the bells can only be heard on twelve occasions during the liturgical year.
Near thePonte San Marco(or 'Wooden Bridge', as it is more commonly called by the locals), there is a statue of San Giovanni Nepomoceno, a Bohemian martyr, set in the old medieval walls. At one time the statue was kept in a shrine in the middle of the bridge: tradition has it, also known in central European countries, that the Saint prevents those who fall into the river from drowning.