Articles

The first construction of the parish church of San Lorenzo in Collina dates back to between the 4th and 6th centuries AD, up to the point of administering a large area counting a total of 22 churches in 1300, scattered throughout the territory between the Via Emilia and the high Apennines, bordered by the Lavino stream to the east and the Samoggia to the west. The current simple hut-shaped architecture dates back to 1474, when, following the disappearance of the system of parish churches, San Lorenzo fell into decline with Pope Sixtus IV granting the patronage to the Grassi counts, who preserved the building (together with the presbytery) from the risk of collapse and built a Renaissance cloister. By 1780 it had been modernised in the Baroque style, with the interior frescoes depicting the life of St Lawrence eventually removed.