Chiesa di San Quirico (Calice)

The Church of San Quirico at Calice, on the lower slope of Mattarella hill near Domodossola, is an eleventh-century building counted among the oldest churches in the Ossola. Post-war restoration brought medieval frescoes in the apse to light.

Why it matters

San Quirico preserves the character of a small country church that served the community of Calice. Its Romanesque fabric and later frescoes record the area's religious history on the hillside between Domodossola and the Sacred Mount of Calvary.

What to notice

The church has a single nave beneath a wooden ceiling, with an apse containing frescoes revealed during restoration after the Second World War. Paintings in the interior date to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The surrounding churchyard served as the cemetery for the Calice community, and the bell tower contains a bell cast in 1605.

Context and history

Dating to the eleventh century, San Quirico served as a subsidiary chapel for the community of Calice. The church stood among hillside settlements including San Quirico, Crosiggia and Anzuno, between Domodossola and the Mattarella hill. Post-war restoration uncovered the apse frescoes and shaped the building's present appearance. This church at Calice is distinct from the church of San Quirico associated with the Sacred Mount complex.