Church Of Santo Spirito - Ai Voice ASTINO

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Astino is the liturgical heart of the ancient monastery.

Consecrated in 1117, it features a crux commissa floor plan, meaning it is shaped like the letter T. This layout allowed worshippers to clearly see the altar during religious celebrations.
According to tradition, on the day of its consecration, relics connected to the Holy Sepulchre were placed inside the altar, to create a symbolic link with Jerusalem.

In the 16th century, the church was renewed both architecturally and decoratively. Abbot Silvestro de’ Benedictis promoted the construction of the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre — a devotional space — and from the 1540s onward, major renovations began. A new sacristy and bell tower were built, and most importantly, the presbytery — the area where the main altar stands — was enlarged.
From this period also comes a significant cycle of frescoes created by the renowned artistic workshops of two families from the Bergamo area: the Baschenis and the Guarinoni.
Thanks to meticulous restoration work, important sections of these original frescoes have resurfaced along the vault and walls, and are now visible alongside 17th-century additions that completed the overall decoration.

In the 1600s, the embellishments continued to stratify. Artists — including painters such as Giuseppe Brina, Bernardo Sanza, Antonio Cifrondi, and Andrea Pelli — renewed stuccoes and decorative elements, creating a harmonious blend between the 16th-century paintings and the richer Baroque ornamentation. The barrel-vaulted nave also features panels depicting saints of the Vallombrosan order, framed with stucco borders.
The result today is a harmonious whole: Romanesque in structure, Renaissance in the proportions of the presbytery, and Baroque in its surfaces.

An interesting fact: because of its connection to the Holy Sepulchre, this church was chosen as a burial place for important members of the clergy. For example, two bishops of Bergamo were buried here: Gregory in 1146 and Algisio da Rosciate in 1267.