Description

This building was the former parish church of Manigi, village at the margins of the plateau and at the foot of the low mountains splitting the area of Cascia from the southern part of the plain of Saint Scholastica, connected by trails.

The village was mentioned in the “Regesto” as a place given to the Abbey of Farfa in 1077. In ancient maps, it is annotated with the name of “Mavisio, Mivisio, Magnisio, Manisio”.

The church is outside the village, along the path to Colle Cuparo. Among Manigi and the Church of Saint Nicholas, a road section maintains terracing works, referring to the ancient (maybe Roman) road, built with brickworks of local limestone, particularly well set at times, other times just sketched. Smaller blocks, belonging to later restorations, are resting on brickworks. It is a derelict church today, but tombs are still visible on the floor.

The interior was entirely frescoed. On the right wall is the painting of a turbulent Deposition that has no counterpart in other paintings for its originality and bitterness of language. It shows the moment when Christ is taken down from the cross: an Apostle is removing the footboard with a stake while Saint John is delivering Christ`s body to Our Lady. The Lady, in her youthful person, embraces the Son, while He`s resting on Her shoulder. Saint John dares just touch the left hand of Christ, like in sculptural groups. Two angels in the air express grief in the Gothic manner, touching their jaw. Lower down the kneeling Magdalene shows grief crying out desperately while raising the two long braids of hair with her hands; another pious woman is sitting in mournful meditation with her hands crossed in slight neglect. The artist is certainly a local painter, belonging to the circle of “Riminesi” (painters from Valnerina, working at the end of the XIV century, without any influence). Other paintings in the church date back to the end of the XVI century, an Our Lady of the Vote or of Mercy is dated 1595. Another votive painting is dated 1618.