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Church of St John the Baptist in Palombara Sabina: the parish church rebuilt after the 1901 earthquake
The Church of San Giovanni Battista is located in Stazzano, a hamlet in the municipality of Palombara Sabina, along the provincial road connecting Moricone to the Sabine town. It's a church that shouldn't exist — or rather, not in this spot. The earthquake of April 24, 1901 destroyed the original village of Stazzano, and with it the old parish church. Four years later, in 1905, both the church and the village had been rebuilt a few miles away. From scratch.
A minimal façade
The front is gabled, in exposed stone. Four pilaster strips on plinths mark the surface, a portal with a triangular pediment frames the entrance, and a window with a brick archivolt opens up at the centre. Its nature is instantly on view: essential, a building built to last.
The frescoes rescued from the destroyed village
Inside, there is a single nave with five exposed wooden trusses and a terracotta floor redone in 2005. But the real surprise is the eight fresco panels from the 15th century depicting the life of St Catherine of Alexandria. They come from the right apse of the old church of Stazzano — the one that was destroyed, less than half a mile from the old village. Thank goodness someone thought of bringing them here. In the presbytery, there is an altarpiece from 1915, made by Michelangelo Cianti of Montecelio.
