LOST CHURCHES

Church of St. Simeone (photograph)

    It seems to be the most ancient church on the whole territory. Its name of S. Symon de Costano can be read in the archive of Assisi's Cathedral from 1354 in after. At that time, innfact, the church belonged to Costano's site that was inclusive of the south-western part of actual Tordandrea's land. Only later it was included in Torre's marquisate, and thus under the parish. Cult of St. Simeone took root in local population's mercy. It is not a case if his icon shines on the precious picture in the church of St. Bernardino. This rural church was near the ditch that took its name from the church itself, which flows between Torre and Ose river towards Bettona's territory. There are no tracks left by this church apart from old men witnesses. On the above mentioned land registry we can read about a little lot of land (14 modioli), and on other sources of information, 1529, we are able to read about money donations to St. Simeone. The first detailed report about this little church is dated 1573, and it can be deduced by monsignor Camaiani's "Visitatio Apostolica". After his visit in 1581, the bishop of Assisi, monsignor Brugnatelli, found the church well kept in picturis et fabrica: in fact it was fully painted in fresco. From the cardinal Rondini's pastoral travel reports of 1666, we learn that the church of St. Simeone was under the parish of the castle of Torre d'Andrea, and the only one altar, furnished with all the necessary objects, was used only in the day of St. Simeone, but the church had no "weights nor incomes". Monsignor Palmerini, in his visit in 1718, saw a good state church. Monsignor Giampè's visit, in 1797, reports that the church is about a mile far from Tordandrea. In 1842 the church is still under Tordandrea's parish church; but in a 1851 report written for the pastoral visit of monsignor Landi-Vittori, we read that "church of St. Simeone once was linked to Tordandrea's parish church". Father Giuseppe Elisei, monsignor Priori's chancellor, during a visit in April, 22, 1891, wrote the last page about St. Simeone.

    The existence of a church inside the castle is shown at least from 1472, only 22 years after Bernardino of Siena was sanctified. In that year, in fact, there was a donation to this church. In a document of 1502, we can argue that the church was inside the castle. In a document of 1514, we read that St. Bernardino's church, inside the castle, was bounded on two sides by public roads, and on the other two by private properties. In a document of 1530, is written, again, that the church was inside the castle. But the church visited in 1573 by monsignor Camaiani was outside the castle: this is a sign that, maybe under Braccio II, another church with the same name has been built. The old church had to become a simple chapel of St. Bernardino's brotherhood. Surely, all its treasures had to pass under the new church. For centuries all tracks of that first church are lost.

    A document of February 1529 seems to be the oldest track about the church of St. Rocco of Torre d'Andrea, even if in another document of the same year we read that such a church had still to be built outside the castle. Was this church really built? If so, where it was? Was it in the place of the church now called church of Maestà? In this church we find a picture in fresco with an icon of St. Rocco. The fact is that in sixteenth century St. Rocco, protector against the plague, was the centre of popular mercy, since its festivity was the town's most important holiday, just after the one of St. Bernardino.

Maestà "de quilli de Nallo" (photograph)

    We find tracks of a money donation to this church in June, 10, 1519. Maybe it refers to the still existing chapel, located on the cross-road with St. Simeone street. The sentence "quilli de Nallo" stands for "Nallo's people", a family who lived in Tordandrea till seventeenth century.

Church of Maestà

Inner view of the church of Maestà

    From a late 1800 report we know that in Tordandrea's S. Bernardino parish there were two "chiese filiali" one called "la Maestà" and the other "St. Simeone" which in 1888 were both suspended, for economical reasons. Existed also a church dedicated to S. John Baptist or Holy Sacrament or S. Anthony Abbot. There existed also St. John's church. The first time is mentioned in 1586: in that year Galeotto Baglioni, lord of Tordandrea, provided this church of 2 candleholders, a cross, the chalice, a planet and other celebration objects. In 1653 is mentioned a church outside the castle, belonging to the Holy Sacrament' Society, invoked as "Madonna della Maestà", not to confuse with the little chapel now situated near the castle. This church, also called "Church of the Confraternita of the Body of Christ", was provided of 2 altars, the high one consecrated to blessed Virgin and the other to Divii Antonii Abbatis. In 1787 Mons.Zagari, Assisi's bishop, visited the church and ordered to pave with bricks the "sito Presepio"; this is evidence of the fact that there was an special place for the realisation of the crib, during Christmas period. In 1818 and in 1851 S. John Baptist's or S. Anthony church was "sufficiently kept". In 1891 this church appeared in bad condition: for this reason the Confraternita of the Holy Sacrament already moved to St. Bernardino's parish.

    In addition to the above mentioned churches, there are also some testimony of other "benefici" or chapels that existed in Tordandrea's territory. In 1573 the apostolic visitor mons.Camaiani. visited the "beneficio semplice" of St. Pietro Checcolino, already collapsed. Other "benefici semplici" were the ones of S.Maria degli Angeli, S.Blaise and St. Bastiano (St. Sebastian). From the chapels, already collapsed of those churches, different pictures were moved in the Tordandrea's parish church of S.Bernardino. There is also the mention of St. Micheal Archangel's church, near Tordandrea: probably it was the church of St. Angel disappeared from centuries, certainly situated between Tordandrea and the ancient way of Valecchie. In 1600 is attested the presence , outside the Castle, of the oratory of the compagnia della Misericordia, any traces of which are lost.