Chiesa di S. Antonio Abate
Pelugo Church features a majestic fresco by the Baschenis
The Sant'Antonio Abate Church in Pelugo dates back to the 15th century and features an horizontal structure, which juxtaposes the vertical outline of the narrow bell-tower with double lancet windows. The church boasts one single aisle, which is not very wide and is covered by a span-roof supported by a roof-truss on the façade. Truly fascinating is the group of frescoes on the façade itself, painted by the Baschenis, the Bergamo-based family of travelling painters who left several outstanding works in Trentino. In 1474, in Pelugo, Cristoforo Baschenis - the first member of the dynasty to reach Trentino - signed an impressive fresco representing Saint Anthony the Abbot above the church entrance door.
These works, among the Bachenis', do not stand out for their style, but for the simple and popular taste, matching as such the architectural soul of the building. The purpose of these frescoes was to educate through images, to lead people towards a life freed of sin, in a sort of biblia pauperum (poor men's books) of Medieval origins. Several works, such as the Madonna con il Bambino and the Trinità, were painted by Cristoforo I Baschenis around 1475.
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