In Priezzo you’ll find the Church of the Visitation, a building that was wanted by the entire community, and therefore it is larger than those in the nearby villages of Musio and Sompriezzo.
A church that took 100 years to build
The Church of Priezzo was built from the beginning of the 17th century, with money donated by the community. Its construction took a very long time: about 100 years, in fact! One of the reasons was the arrival of the plague in 1630, which reaped numerous victims in Tremosine sul Garda, too.
Over the years, thanks to generous donations, it was decorated more and more, and it was possible to celebrate the Holy Mass almost every day.
The Church of Priezzo ran many charitable activities in the community, including distributing bread to the poor in the spring, and a school for girls in the community where they were taught to read and write. Over the years, the church lost importance, so many charity initiatives moved to Pieve di Tremosine sul Garda, the main religious centre of the area.
The church of Priezzo and its interiors
The church is very large: it has a single nave and three altars decorated with valuable artworks.
On the majestic high altar there is a wooden altarpiece by Nicolò Grisani, surrounded by a beautiful frame.
The central painting by Grisani shows Maria and Elisabetta sharing an embrace together with their husbands Giuseppe and Zaccaria. The paintings belonging to the side altars are dedicated to different saints, and the author is unknown.
The ancient municipality of Coreggia and other curious facts
At one time, the settlements of Musio, Priezzo, Sompriezzo, Secastello and Fucina all belonged to the municipality of Coreggia. The church of Priezzo was built to serve the entire town, and for this reason it was so large and sumptuous.
This type of church is called ‘chiesa vicinale’ (neighborhood church), meaning wanted by all the people, as opposed to the more common ‘chiese padronali’ (master's churches) wanted by wealthy donors, as found in many nearby settlements.
