Chiesa della Purificazione di Maria Vergine

Apricale's parish church layers medieval beginnings, Baroque remodelling and a twentieth-century neo-Romanesque façade around a small square in the heart of the borgo. Above it, the bell tower rises from an older castle tower, crowned by Sergio Bianco's upward-pointing bicycle sculpture.

Why it matters

The Church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary reflects the changing history of Apricale's central settlement. Its medieval origins, later reorientation toward the piazza and twentieth-century façade preserve successive phases of the village's religious and civic life. Its skyline also joins the church to the nearby Castello della Lucertola through the reused castle tower.

What to notice

The façade has two portals by Giovanni Viale and a mosaic rose window depicting the Purification of Mary and the Presentation at the Temple. Inside, two rows of pillars divide the church into three naves. Giuseppe Tamagno's mosaic floor dates to 1903, and Leonida Martini painted the vault frescoes in 1904; paintings from the late seventeenth to nineteenth centuries line the walls. The bell tower incorporates the castle's ancient square tower. At its summit, Bianco's 2000 work, La forza della non gravità, places a bicycle pointing upward.

Context and history

The municipal history traces the church's origins to the thirteenth century. Its entrance was reoriented toward the square in 1760, and the façade was rebuilt in neo-Romanesque form in 1935, with Viale's portals and the mosaic rose window. The interior's Tamagno floor and Martini frescoes followed in 1903 and 1904. The castle tower became the church's bell tower after losing its military role, bringing the sacred building and fortress together in Apricale's skyline. Bianco's sculpture added a contemporary landmark to that layered history in 2000.