Religious heritage

The region has many testimonies of Baroque architecture. Churches that you will find in each village are almost all restored or being restored and they are worth.

Regarding religious art: frescoes, statuary, furniture and carved wooden doors, cross, paintings, objects of worship …. There are many treasures not to be missed. Church tower, belfries and bells are not left … If the door is closed, that is to prevent looting. Ask the key to a villager, in general it is not far away and treasured. You will certainly fortunate that the Mayor or one of the « elders » of the village you do the tour.

Sometimes, the tower is detached from the church, sometimes they are the bells that are outside of the tower or even outside of the church as to Campodonico, where they built a big wooden marquee to place it on the small square in front of the church .

More, if you visit the area, many beautiful small chapels from the 11th and 12th centuries to be discovered at the turn of a road. They are usually held a little outdoors, hidden away in a clearing or perched on a ridge. They are peaceful and rural areas sometimes arranged for a picnic as near the village of Scata : the chapel of San Martinu which has a period of rest area with fountain, tables and benches … It is a amazing small masonry half open outward where you can admire the decoration through its holder iron gate.

These chapels are often a place of worship and procession the day of Saint represented. As San Giorghju (St Georges) in Valle d’ Orezza or San Pancraziu (St Pancras) to Verdese …

Note the striking chapel of San Biaggiu in village of Poggio-Marinaccio which is dated from Charlemagne.

Or chapels in the village of Valle d’Alesani: St Alexis , St Anthony, St Michael and St John the Baptist. But the list is long because the company of Saints represented in the region of Castagniccia is endless.
Finally, each pieve has a convent. The convent of Alesani fully restored saw the proclamation of the King of Corsica « Theodore de Neuhoff » who reigned nine months, and houses among other wonders a splendid Renaissance painting: « la vierge à la cerise » (virgin with cherries). The painting currently on display is a copy, the original is in the Museum of Aleria.

At the convent of Orezza was decided the declaration of war against Genoa in 1731, now partially ruined it is the subject of a restoration project.

This is also the case for the convent of Ampugnani (village of Casabianca) who saw the proclamation of PASCAL PAOLI General of the Corsican Nation in 1755.