What to see in Cantiano
S. Ubaldo
The Church of St. Ubaldo, Bishop of Gubbio (1035-1060), rises on the hilltop bearing the same name. Heavily modified over the years, it is the only Church which has retained the Basilica style. It was the See of the Compagnia del Buon Gesù (Society of Jesus) and home to the “Flagellanti”, the “Battuti” and the “Disciplinati”.
On Good Friday, the procession of the Dead Christ, in which
the characters of the “Turba” participate, marks the Easter of every
member of the Cantiano community. The “Turba” finds its roots in the
first millennium. Later, intertwined with popular faith, it became a
part of the history of the town
Inside the Church of St. Ubaldo, we find:
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a valuable wood simulacrum of the Crucifixion of Jesus, work of Berardino, son of Ottavio Dolci of Urbania, sculpted in 1537.
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over the High Altar, the Last Supper by Ventura Mazza da Cantiano (1560 – 1633)
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St. Ubaldo and St. Bernardino, attributed to Giovanni Baldassini of Gubbio (1534 – 1601)
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a finely sculpted wood statue of the Resurrected Christ, perhaps from the Neapolitan School
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in the right nave, a simulacrum of the Deposition of Christ
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in the chapel, a statue of St. Ubaldo.
During the Lenten and Easter season, the narrow winding Via Allegroni, which leads to the Hill of St. Ubaldo, is crowded with the faithful in a procession which joins the church to the rest of the town.
(From Cantiano tra Fede e Storia di F.Panfili – M. Tanfulli,
Cantiano 2000)
