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Church of St John the Baptist: A Romanesque Building with Cosmati-style Portal in the Turano Valley
The Church of San Giovanni Battista is located in Paganico Sabino, a village in the Turano Valley 420 metres above sea level. The Romanesque building dates back to the 12th century, built when the castle was a fief of the Benedictine monks of Farfa. The church served the rural community living around the fortress. The façade preserves a 13th-century Cosmati portal: polychrome marbles, geometric mosaics and twisted columns framing the entrance, the work of Roman craftsmen working in Sabina.
The Medieval Interior
The hall has a single nave with exposed wooden trusses and a semicircular apse. The walls preserve traces of 14th-15th century frescoes depicting saints and biblical scenes, albeit highly fragmented and damaged by damp. The stone altar is Romanesque, simple, without later Baroque decorations. The terracotta floor is original, with slabs worn by the passage of the faithful over the centuries.
Decorative Elements
The Cosmati-style portal is the most valuable element: an example of the craftsmanship of Roman workshops that worked in Sabina in the 12th and 13th centuries. The twisted columns rest on in limestone column-bearing lions, symbols of guardianship and protection. The geometric mosaics alternate tesserae of white, green and red marble in patterns reminiscent of the floors of Roman basilicas. The church maintains the Romanesque sobriety typical of rural buildings in Sabina, without later additions altering its structure.
