Overview
Scholars date the construction of the Church of San Defendente, in Clusone, in the diocese of Bergamo, in the years between 1470-77, in a period of the plague, but the frescoes and the structure of the apse (architectural part of the church covered by a vault) external indicate an earlier origin. It could, therefore, be an extension of an older oratory, dedicated to San Nabore, mentioned in a document of 941. In 1477, the building was renovated due to the plague epidemic in Valseriana. The Church was later dedicated to San Defendente, a soldier of the Thebea legion composed of Egyptian Christians, in the fourth century A.D., who refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods as ordered by the general Maurizio, and was martyred. The martyrs of the Theban legion were venerated at the monastery of San Martino di Tours, which had jurisdiction over Clusone. The church preserves a late-14th-century structure, with a single nave and a square presbytery. The frescoes include representations of San Defendente, San Martino and San Rocco. The portico with four columns, with frescoed walls, was built in 1575. During the plague epidemics of 1528-29 and 1630, this place of worship played an important role for the hospitalisation of the sick, as well as for prayer. Over the centuries, the Church suffered a decline, until its closure, but it has recently been restored. The frescoes of the triumphal arch depict San Rocco and San Defendente. The church also hosted the cult of San Cristoforo. The structure has a gabled façade, a single nave, a square presbytery and an external portico. The frescoes show several religious scenes, including the Madonna and Child and several depictions of the patron saints.
