SHARRYLAND
Church of Sant'Osvaldo, Garniga Terme
A little church that plays hide-and-seek
Where is
What it is and where it is
I saw it as I was getting into my car, like a ghostly building, suspended in midair, imposing yet distant. Parked in the Piazza in Garniga Terme I see only the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and no other religious building. No other bell tower soars above the roofs of the houses. I start down a road lined with a stone wall and arrive at a fork in the road. I take the most unlikely route and, past the last two houses, access a long, quiet, tree-lined avenue. In the distance, among the bare branches of the trees, I glimpse the church of Sant'Osvaldo, overlooking the Dos dei Nozi.
Why it is special
It is, without a doubt, a building of Gothic origin that arouses a certain historical and artistic interest. What makes this place truly special is the fact that it is in this particular location, on top of a hill completely separated from the rest of the town and dominating the Adige Valley, at least the portion that stretches from South Trento to Mattarello, giving the hiker/pilgrim one of the most striking landscapes in the entire area. Moreover, aiming at this little architectural gem, you will be as if fascinated by an aura of mystery that will envelop you.
Not to be missed
If you are an art lover, you cannot miss visiting the interior of this little church, so small, yet able to hold a wealth of inestimable value. You will admire the three beautiful 18th-century altars, the work of the best stonemasons in Trentino, the Sartori brothers; the two altarpieces depicting respectively The Madonna in Glory, St. Oswald and St. Rocco and The Madonna of the Rosary with St. Dominic and St. Theresa; and finally the precious statue of the Madonna of the Snow, a marble group depicting the Virgin and Child with the kneeling patron, dating back to the 14th century.
A bit of history
With the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1938-40 in a more central location, the little church of St. Oswald suffered a state of neglect, which was opposed in 1971 by the then Superintendent of Fine Arts, Niccolò Rasmo, who ordered its restoration. However, work began only in 1998 and finished in 2002, restoring the church to its former glory. Therefore, I invite friends who are fond of such beauties to visit this place, which is not only a piece of stone, but a bulwark of Trentino's rural history, as well as "cherry" on the cake of local landscapes.
Curiosity
It is curious to think about the fact that prior to the building of the church that now stands in the central square of Garniga Terme in 1938-42, this was the only place of worship that brought together all the worshippers from the hamlets of the municipality, despite being somewhat out of the way. It's strange, isn't it? Usually when we go to a historic hamlet we are used to thinking that the church is always in a central location. In many of the villages in Trentino you will find that this is not the case-so all you have to do is visit them.
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