Chiesa di San Filippo Neri (Cecchina)

The parish church of San Filippo Neri in Cecchina, a frazione of Albano Laziale, was built in 1941 on land donated by the widow of Marchese Filippo Ferrajoli. Its rationalist design and parish history reflect the growth of this modern settlement.

Why it matters

The Ferrajoli family donated the land on condition that the new church honour the late marchese; the dedication was given to his namesake, Saint Philip Neri. Cardinal bishop Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte officiated at the dedication. For more than eighty years the parish was served by the Piamartine religious of the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In August 2025, responsibility returned to the Diocese of Albano Laziale.

What to notice

The church's mid-twentieth-century rationalist idiom is marked by clean volumes and daylight. Beside it stands an oratory dedicated to Saint Philip Neri, part of the parish complex and its community life.

Context and history

Cecchina grew from a farming settlement on the plain below the Castelli hills. The 1941 church answered the growing community's need for a parish and was entrusted to the Piamartines, founded in Brescia by Giovanni Battista Piamarta, with a tradition of oratories and vocational training. Fourteen Piamartine fathers led the parish between 1941 and 2025, from Paolo Piacentini to Luigi Bazzani. In August 2025, the congregation handed spiritual and administrative leadership back to the Diocese of Albano Laziale.