This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
The Church of the Gonfalone in Campagnano: the clock in the square and the secret of the winter sun
In the heart of Campagnano di Roma, overlooking the main square, stands the Church of the Gonfalone. Built in 1575 at the behest of the Orsini family, it is today a landmark for those visiting Campagnano di Roma and the surrounding Tuscia Romana area. Its simple façade, with the clock tower added in 1864, conceals surprising details and local tales.
An interior that speaks
The interior is comprised of a very simple single nave. But it is the 17th-century altars that grab one’s attention. On the left there is a small fresco: it resembles a rural scene, yet it may well be an interpretation of the Noli me tangere encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. A detail that is found nowhere else, and is rendered in an almost rustic, folk style.
The ray of light on the altar of Saint Lucy
The church’s biggest secret, however, concerns the altar of Saint Lucy, the most ornate, with its spiral columns and sculpted figures. Every year, on the days close to the winter solstice, a ray of sunlight enters through a deliberately positioned window. At midday, the light precisely falls on the dish the saint is holding containing her own eyes.
The church is consecrated, and usually open to the public free of charge. A particularly special time to visit is during the Feast of Sant'Antonio Abate (St Anthony the Abbot), in the second half of January, when the traditional blessing of animals takes place in the square outside the church.
