Chiesa dei Santi Sebastiano e Rocco (Penia)

The Church of Saints Sebastian and Roch stands on the Col de Lagnol, the highest part of Penia in the upper Val di Fassa. A local legend says birds carried building sand to the site, indicating where the church should be built.

Why it matters

The church is a sixteenth-century landmark in Penia. Its history combines a local foundation legend with a documented consecration in 1562 and later changes that reflect the development of the hamlet’s religious life.

What to notice

The bell tower dates to 1574, while the nave was lengthened and the tower received its onion-shaped cap in 1854. The interior preserves frescoes painted before the end of the sixteenth century. Restoration work from 1972 to 1988 brought several whitewashed frescoes back to light.

Context and history

The church was probably built shortly after 1550, though the exact construction date is uncertain. Biagio Aliprandini, suffragan bishop for Cristoforo Madruzzo, consecrated it in 1562. A fire damaged the roof and tower in the early eighteenth century; both were repaired. Penia and the rest of Val di Fassa passed from the diocese of Bressanone to Trento in 1818. The church remains a subsidiary church rather than a separate parish seat.