Chiesa dei Santi Nazaro e Celso

The parish church of Saints Nazaro and Celso stands near the entrance to Bellano's Orrido gorge. Its black-and-white banded facade and decorated rose window give it a distinctive place in the town's architectural landscape.

Why it matters

Built between 1342 and 1350, the church combines medieval architecture with later alterations to its vaults, presbytery and furnishings. The facade's mixture of round-arched ornament and pointed portals reflects the meeting of Romanesque and Gothic forms.

What to notice

Three sections of the facade correspond to the aisles within. The central rose window is surrounded by green-painted terracotta ornament, with patron saints Nazaro and Celso in its glass. An aedicule contains a relief of Saint Ambrose. Inside, bichrome marble paving echoes the exterior, while Renaissance vault paintings include dated panels of 1530, prophets, sibyls and symbols of the Passion.

Context and history

The church probably replaced an earlier Marian church destroyed by the Pioverna's flood in 1341. An initial scheme for twin towers was abandoned, and the present bell tower was erected in 1567. Enlargement of the apse and later furnishings continued to reshape the building, with community donations supporting the high altar.