Costigliole d'Asti - The Church of Saint Charles

On the hill called Serramassone, in the locality "Rovere dei Boschi", near a farmhouse owned by the Risso family, around 1620 a small church was erected and dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, the holy archbishop of Milan who had been canonized only ten years earlier. In this original oratory, to which were leaned three small rooms used as dwelling by a hermit, only the festive masses were celebrated for the inhabitants of the area. In the acts of the pastoral visit occurred 1668 it’s reported that the church was maintained in order, plastered and painted. On the only altar, accurately decorated, a wooden icon was placed showing a statue of Saint Charles in the center and, on the sides, those of Saints Bovo and Defendente, protectors of the countryside. There was also a small bell tower over the façade tympanum, equipped with one bell only.

In 1669 the church was increased in height (as confirmed by the date engraved on the outer cornice of the façade – left side). In 1683 the Borghigians of Saint Charles obtained from the bishop of Pavia the permission to enlarge their oratory on the side of the apse. The extension works proceeded very slowly and were only completed by 1697. Between 1697 and 1698, Second and Caterina Arellano, father and daughter, intervened in the interior decorations (we are left of their work with just the fresco depictions of Saints Bovo and Defendente). Most likely, in 1731 the present main altar was erected, made in stucco and attributed to Antonio Catenazzi from Mendrisio (Lugano).

The altarpiece, representing Saint Charles in prayer, is supposed to be the work of Michele Antonio Milocco, an artist who often collaborated with the Catenazzi. In this painting one of the oldest depictions of the castle of Costigliole is included. In 1756 the chaplain’s cottage adjacent to the church was almost rebuilt. In 1907 the priest from Costigliole Don Leonardo Risso donated a plaster statue of “Our Lady Help of Christians”, which was blessed by the Salesian priest Don Rua, a successor of Saint John Bosco.

The sacred building was restored several times, in 1832, 1879, 1933 and in 1955-1956 when the ceiling was decorated by Giuseppe Origlia of Settime. From 2007 to 2021 the church has been subjected to  multiple restoration works favoured by the interest of the Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano and the Provincial Councillor then Mayor of Costigliole Cav. Enrico Alessandro Cavallero. The architect Baldi Fiorenzo and the Restoration Committee supervised these interventions, which could be performed thanks to the contribution of the C.R. of Turin, of the G.A.L. and of many inhabitants of the village.

Along the ridge of the hill that leads from Carrobbio to the village of Saint Charles, there are numerous noble villas dated back to the 18th - 19th century (once belonged to families Camerana, Visone, Serra). Many ancient farmsteads are also present which were owned by the co-feudataries Asinari and Verasis, such as the farm "Strada", presently called “Cavallero”, which belonged to the Asinari family since the early years of the seventeenth century.