The village of Musio is one of the smallest in all of Tremosine sul Garda, but as in many other cases, it has its small place of worship thanks to the faith of its inhabitants.
Looking at the past
The history of the church of Musio is similar to that of many other buildings scattered around the villages of Tremosine sul Garda.
During the 17th century a few families lived here, all with the same surname, Donati. The church was built thanks to the intervention of one man, Donato Donati, a wealthy inhabitant of the village.
The building is dedicated to San Francesco da Paola, to whom Mr. Donati was devoted. Construction ended in 1729, the year when the main building and bell tower were completed.
Thanks to an inscription on the façade of the church it was possible not only to identify the date of construction but also that of its first renovation, which ended on August 8th, 1754.
The Musio Church inside
During the construction of the church, numerous liturgical objects and various artworks were donated.
The church is quite rich thanks to the legacy of Donati, who left all his assets to the church, since he had no heirs, with the promise they would be used for the maintenance and beautification of the building.
The ceiling is entirely painted, and depicts several saints including San Francesco da Paola. Prints are hung on the walls, and until the Fifties there were also two valuable paintings, which are now kept in the church of Pieve di Tremosine sul Garda.
The most interesting work is certainly the beautiful altarpiece dedicated to the Madonna with Child (in which there is also San Francesco da Paola) painted by Andrea Celesti, a famous Venetian painter very active in the area between the 17th and 18th century.
Curious Facts
San Francesco was from Paola, a Calabrian city. He is the patron saint of sailors, and he was important to Donati probably because of the connection with the maritime Republic of Venice.
