Pieve di San Cassiano

The parish church is located at a corner of S. Cassiano monumental cemetery. It dates back to XI century. It was often restored and its original structure changed along the centuries.

Address: Strada Provinciale 3 del Rabbi a 2,5 km dal centro di Predappio, in direzione Premilcuore
Telephone number: +39.0543.921711
Sito WEB: http://www.comune.predappio.fc.it

Further Information

The parish church rises at a corner of S. Cassiano di Predappio monumental cemetery. It dates back to XI century and was first mentioned in some manuscripts dating 1001. According to the popular folklore the parish church was built during the V century under Galla Placidia's will. Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius who rolled the West Roman Empire from Ravenna. Probably this parish church had been built by one of the first Christian communities in Romagna. It rose on the ruins of a pagan temple and gained the title of Basilica. Soon it gained great religious and administrative importance and maintained a leading position until the XVII century. It was damaged and then restored in Baroque style; it was re-consecrated in 1643. It was restored in 1863. The last restoring works started in 1930 and ended in 1934 giving the church its actual Romanesque features. To return to its original structure and style the architects Icchia and Corsini used analogical criteria keeping the pale Christian abbeys of Ravenna as models. The perimeter walls had been erected using stones found in the surroundings.
The parish church has one nave and two aisles. It has a proto Romanesque basilica architecture. The facade is beautiful; there are a portal over hanged by a double lancet window and a bell tower. In the inside there are two altars a christening font and a crucified. The crucified is on the main altar and it might be sculpted by one of Beato Angelico's students. The most ancient part of the church is the crypt. It might have Byzantine origins. Nowadays there is a photographic exhibition reconstructing the history of this parish.

How to get there

The parish church rises inside the Communal cemetery of S. Cassiano di Predappio. It is reachable driving along Strada Provinciale n°3 del Rabbi. It is 2Km. far from the centre of Predappio towards Premilcuore.