Castagnole delle Lanze - The Chapel of San Defendente

In ancient times, the place where the chapel stands was the Renaldi region, from the important Castagnolese family who owned vast lands here. Domenico Renaldi in 1633 built the chapel at his own expense. Since it was built shortly after the plague epidemic that hit these lands in 1631, it is legitimate to assume that it is a votive offering for liberation from the plague. From some archival documents, now disappeared, it would appear that in 1633 the chapel was only rebuilt, in place of an ancient chapel, or a votive pylon.

In addition to the construction, Domenico Renaldi attaches to the chapel a census of one hundred lire, originally assigned to the parish archpriest, for the celebration of twelve annual masses in suffrage for him. This legacy lasts until the beginning of the 20th century. The same founder, a few years later, donated to the chapel a small plot of land, about twelve tables, adjacent to the building, whose income was used to meet the ordinary expenses of the chapel. In the 19th century, the income of the chapel, as well as from its own land, was also obtained from the annual begging of grain and from the proceeds of a willow tree.

When in 1868 the government confiscated ecclesiastical property, the land of the chapel of San Defendente was also confiscated by the state and later put up for auction; the villagers, however, redeem it.

From the few ancient documents that mention the chapel, it is discovered that in the mid-seventeenth century the altar, stripped of furnishings, had an altarpiece depicting the image of the Virgin Mary between the saints Sebastiano, Defendente and Domenico. Later this canvas was replaced with another depicting Mary with the Child Jesus between San Defendente and the Archangel Michael, also lost. Besides the altarpiece, the only other decoration present is the fresco representing the owner of the chapel above the entrance door. In 1694 the chapel was forbidden for worship. In the following decades the situation did not improve because, although it returned to being officiated, it was poor in vestments and in need of repairs, as evidenced by many observations made by the bishops who examined the chapel on the occasion of their pastoral visit between the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the 19th century the chapel also got a chaplain; it is don Giovanni Antonio Carosso who, being unemployed between the thirties and seventies of the century, celebrates daily mass, as well as twelve celebrations in memory of the founder and the solemn one on January 2, the patronal feast. Since the chapel is isolated, in the same period all the vestments and sacred vessels are kept by Battista Carosso, who lives in the house closest to the chapel, and father of the chaplain. He is also the keeper of the bell, hoisted on the roof of his home, after the bell raised on the bell tower was stolen twice.

Originally the chapel did not have a sacristy, but the few objects were kept in a wardrobe and chest behind the altar. Around 1919 the inhabitants of the village built the small building next to the chapel and closed the portico. There is no certain news until the 1980s when the chapel underwent an important restoration work after it had been abandoned for so many years and no celebrations took place.