Overview
Scholars date the construction of the Church of St Defendens, in Clusone in the diocese of Bergamo, to the years between 1470-77, during the plague. However the frescoes and the external structure of the apse (the part of the church covered by a vault) indicate an earlier origin. It may be an extension of an older oratory, dedicated to St Nabor and mentioned in a document dating from 941. In 1477, the building was renovated due to the plague epidemic in the Seriana valley. The Church was later dedicated to St Defendens, who belonged to the Thebean legion of the 4th century, made up of Egyptian Christians. Defendens refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods under the orders of the general, Mauritius, and was martyred. The martyrs of the Thebean legion were venerated at the monastery of St Martin of Tours, which had jurisdiction over Clusone. The church still has its late 14th-century structure, with a single nave and a square presbytery. The frescoes include representations of the saints Defendens, Martin and Roch. The portico with four columns and 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 St Roch and St Defendens. The church also had a following dedicated to St Christopher. 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.
