Discovering the Parishes of Forlì

The Pieve di San Martino in Barisano is located in the hamlet of the same name near Forlì, 8 km from the city in the direction of Ravenna.

Its origins, the subject of several studies, date back to the 6th century A.D., and its façade features a single central rose window. The building was constructed using a typical Byzantine technique that employed large bricks bonded with lime and lapilli, a mixture of crushed stone particles.

To see

• several mosaics depicting geometric figures, flowers, intertwined borders, and plant-inspired designs created with polychrome tiles, brought to light by archaeological excavations and extensive restoration work carried out over the years;
• the crypt dating back to the 9th–10th centuries;
• ancient frescoes, including a 14th-century depiction of “Saint Martin on Horseback Giving His Cloak” and a fragment of the “Madonna and Child.”

Curiosity

• the single nave: a true rarity. The other parish churches in the area all have three naves.
• the Barisano area was once part of the territories granted as gifts to veterans of the Roman fleet at Classe: a “villa” likely stood here, as evidenced by several mosaics discovered nearly two meters below the current floor level.

Santa Maria in Acquedotto is an ancient church located in the countryside outside Forlì on the road leading to Ravenna, along the route where, according to tradition, Theodoric’s aqueduct once ran (hence the name).

The present parish church was built in the 13th century on the ruins of an older Byzantine church; its main features are its sloping structure and its essentially bare interior, with the exception of some traces of frescoes brought to light during 20th-century restorations, including:

• the Madonna with a halo, featuring an engraved halo, located on the counter-façade to the left of the entrance
• several figures of Saint Agatha and Saint John the Evangelist, works by a local painter from the late 16th century.

Curiosity

The earliest records of this parish church date back to 963 A.D., but its origins appear to date as far back as the 6th century. It may have been one of the first seven parish churches commissioned by Empress Galla Placidia.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul: Located about 8 km from Santa Maria in Acquedotto, it is also called “Pievequinta” because it was the fifth of the parish churches commissioned by Galla Placidia.

Probably of early Christian origin, its existence dates back to 950 AD. The church was later demolished in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1793.

To see

• the three marble heads of the Holy Apostles attributed to the “Master of the Marble Madonnas, ”
• the altarpiece by Andrea Vandi titled “Saints Peter and Paul Glorified by the Eternal Father Amid a Court of Angels,”
• the fresco depicting “The Adoration of the Magi, ” possibly attributable to the school of Luca Longhi.

Curiosity

It is famous for being the only church in the Forlì countryside to have a cylindrical bell tower in the Byzantine style, typical of the basilicas of Ravenna.

Shrine of Santa Maria delle Grazie: located in the hamlet of Fornò, 8 km from Pievequinta.

Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, construction of the sanctuary began in 1454 at the behest of Pietro Bianco da Durazzo, a figure shrouded in legend: a former pirate and hermit who later converted to Christianity following a miraculous event.

Must-see

• the sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Agostino di Duccio
• the 15th-century frescoes from the schools of Melozzo da Forlì and Palmezzano
• the sarcophagus of Bianco da Durazzo
• the icon of the Madonna di Theotocos, symbol of the parish church, to which it is dedicated

Curiosity

It is one of the very few examples in Italy of a circular-plan sanctuary with an Eastern influence. Cylindrical shapes, cubes, and domes intertwine to convey the idea of the universe, suggesting Byzantine and Armenian influences.

Parish Church of San Martino in Strada, 12 km from the Sanctuary of Fornò, in the village of San Martino in Strada.

The earliest documented references to the parish church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century Christian bishop, date back to 962 A.D., and the ancient church—built in the Lombard style with a basilica-like floor plan—has been remodeled several times over the years.

Must-see

• a painting depicting the Sacred History, which is quite spectacular
• a fresco of an ancient medieval Madonna holding the infant Jesus in her arms.