Church of Santa Maria della Cava (chiesa di Santa Maria della Cava)

Address Strada Provinciale 14, 14030 Montemagno Monferrato AT, Italia

Highlights

The church of Santa Maria della Cava stands at the edge of the urban fabric.

Montemagno possesses a jewel of a church: Santa Maria della Cava.

In the diocesan register of Asti the Church of St. Mary of Bethlehem in posse Montis Magni appears listed.

The church is identifiable with the chapel of S. Maria de Hospitali, in aralibus dicti loci, in a state of neglect and no longer officiated even though it was consecrated in 1569.

The subsequent apostolic visit of the Bishop of Casale in 1577 confirms that the chapel possessed a hospice of Santa Maria, belonging, however, to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The church was definitely named Santa Maria della Cava, overlapping with that of Santa Maria di Betlemme.

The predicate of the Quarry comes from the ancient sunken Roman road, hollowed out due to lack of maintenance.

In fact, the area of the present municipality of Montemagno is dotted with Romanesque villages and villas, and the very toponym of the main town reveals its Roman origin.