Padenghe Unveils 1400s Frescoes at Santa Maria Assunta Church

The town of Padenghe has further enriched its artistic and cultural landscape. Following the discovery of a series of frescoes dating most likely to the 1200s in the Romanesque church of Sant’Emiliano, the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta has also revealed some valuable images, stylistically datable, according to an initial assessment by experts, to the 1400s.

The discovery of the decorative apparatus was made by workers involved in the building’s renovation. The parish priest, don Bruno Negretto, was immediately notified and subsequently consulted Professor Giancarlo Quaglia, a scholar and archaeologist. In their preliminary examination, he confirmed the rarity of the frescoes, which may not be the only ones present in the parish church.

Investigations and analyses of the findings

More precise answers regarding the discovery may soon be provided by a series of diagnostic investigations, whose opportunities and methodologies are already being discussed at the superintendence for arts and cultural heritage of Brescia, Mantova, and Cremona. The analyses, which may include infrared scans, photogrammetric surveys, structural assessments of the plasters, and chemical-physical tests, will eventually be entrusted to the research and restoration study center based in Desenzano.

The center is already involved in projects at the Santuario della Madonna del Carmine in San Felice del Benaco and at Villa Brunati in Rivoltella del Garda.