{"id":22555,"date":"2020-11-30T11:04:39","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T10:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/arte-e-cultura\/sariano-church\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T16:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:48:19","slug":"sariano-church","status":"publish","type":"arte-e-cultura","link":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Sariano Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

The little church of Sariano has very ancient origins, dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The church stands on top of a hill on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Gropparello<\/a>.<\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n

Restoration work carried out in the 1960s and 1970s restored the original, austere Romanesque architectural design. A true gem of medieval architecture built from local stone, the little church has a gabled fa\u00e7ade and a single doorway.
\nThe oldest part is the apse, which dates back to the 10th century and was built using bricks bound together by thin layers of mortar.
\nInside, the following are preserved: a 16th-century fresco depicting the Madonna della Neve, to whom the little church is dedicated, and an icon from 1720 depicting Christ Pantocrator.<\/p>\n

The legend behind the name<\/h3>\n

The name \u2018Madonna della Neve\u2019 is linked to the founding of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, during the early centuries of the Church\u2019s history. Legend has it that during the pontificate of Pope Liberius (352\u2013366), a wealthy Roman patrician named John and his wife, having no children, decided to offer their possessions to the Blessed Virgin for the construction of a church dedicated to her. The Virgin Mary appeared to the couple in a dream on the night between 4 and 5 August, indicating the site where the church was to be built. The Pope, too, had the same vision. All three went to the indicated spot, the Esquiline Hill, and found it covered in snow in the middle of summer. The new church was built within the perimeter of the snow-covered ground. The \u2018Liberian\u2019 church, named after the Pope, became known to the people as \u2018ad Nives\u2019, meaning \u2018of the Snow\u2019.<\/p>\n

According to local tradition, the Chiesuola di Sariano is also dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows to commemorate an episode \u2013 similar to the one in Rome \u2013 of a miraculous snowfall in the middle of August on the hills of the Val Vezzeno.<\/p>\n

The Via Francigena di Montagna, which crosses the valley, takes its name from this small church: the Via Madonna delle Nevi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dating back to the 10th-11th centuries, it lies on top of a hill, just outside the small village. The restoration works carried out in the 60s-7s have allowed to recover the austere Romanesque profile. The oldest element is the apse (10th century), built with bricks and mortar. Inside, a 16th century fresco, representing Madonna della Neve, to whom the church is dedicated, and an icon dating back to 1720 and representing Christ Pantocrator.","protected":false},"featured_media":20953,"template":"","territorio":[937],"categorie_arte_e_cultura":[924],"class_list":["post-22555","arte-e-cultura","type-arte-e-cultura","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","territorio-val-nure-en","categorie_arte_e_cultura-religious-architecture"],"acf":{"orario":"

Weekday timetable:
\nFrom 09.00 am to 6.30 pm<\/p>\n

Holiday timetable:
\nFrom 09.00 am to 6.30 pm<\/p>\n","tariffe":"

Admission prices:
\nFree admission<\/p>\n","location":{"lat":"44.863474","lng":"9.741397","address":"Loc. Sariano"},"contatti_iat":false,"accessibilita_disabili":"","chiusura_settimanale":"","iat":33738,"localita":33132},"yoast_head":"\nSariano Church - Visit Piacenza<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called "Madonna della Neve", hides a legend behind its name.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sariano Church - Visit Piacenza\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called "Madonna della Neve", hides a legend behind its name.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Visit Piacenza\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-03T14:48:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1248\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"936\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/\",\"name\":\"Sariano Church - Visit Piacenza\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T10:04:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-03T14:48:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called \\\"Madonna della Neve\\\", hides a legend behind its name.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg\",\"width\":1248,\"height\":936,\"caption\":\"La Chiesuola di Sariano, Gropparello (PC) ph Archivio IAT Grazzano Visconti Valnure Valchero\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Art and Culture\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Sariano Church\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Visit Piacenza\",\"description\":\"Sito turistico della provincia di Piacenza\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Visit Piacenza\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-visit-piacenza-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-visit-piacenza-logo.png\",\"width\":1341,\"height\":216,\"caption\":\"Visit Piacenza\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sariano Church - Visit Piacenza","description":"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called \"Madonna della Neve\", hides a legend behind its name.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sariano Church - Visit Piacenza","og_description":"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called \"Madonna della Neve\", hides a legend behind its name.","og_url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/","og_site_name":"Visit Piacenza","article_modified_time":"2026-07-03T14:48:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1248,"height":936,"url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/","url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/","name":"Sariano Church - Visit Piacenza","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-30T10:04:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-03T14:48:19+00:00","description":"The ancient church of the hamlet of Sariano(Municipality of Gropparello, PC), called \"Madonna della Neve\", hides a legend behind its name.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sariano-la-CHIESUOLA.jpg","width":1248,"height":936,"caption":"La Chiesuola di Sariano, Gropparello (PC) ph Archivio IAT Grazzano Visconti Valnure Valchero"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/sariano-church\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Art and Culture","item":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/art-and-culture\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Sariano Church"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/","name":"Visit Piacenza","description":"Sito turistico della provincia di Piacenza","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#organization","name":"Visit Piacenza","url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-visit-piacenza-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-visit-piacenza-logo.png","width":1341,"height":216,"caption":"Visit Piacenza"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arte-e-cultura\/22555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arte-e-cultura"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/arte-e-cultura"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arte-e-cultura\/22555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77763,"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arte-e-cultura\/22555\/revisions\/77763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"territorio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/territorio?post=22555"},{"taxonomy":"categorie_arte_e_cultura","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitpiacenza.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categorie_arte_e_cultura?post=22555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}