San Patrizio a Tirli

The Church of San Patrizio in Tirli, in the municipality of Firenzuola, stands in a territory of great historical value, once dominated by one of the most imposing castles of the Ubaldini family. This castle, located near Casovana, controlled the passage towards Imola and Romagna, but after various events, it was definitively conquered by the Florentines in 1373. Kept in operation until the beginning of the seventeenth century, it was eventually dismantled. In the territory of its curia, already in the thirteenth century, there were three churches: Santa Maria (or Santa Margherita), San Martino, and San Pietro. The latter, after the Florentine conquest, changed its dedication to San Patrizio, assuming an increasingly central role in the religious life of the community. The Church of San Patrizio became the only parish church in the area. However, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the building was in a state of serious disrepair, and in 1615, with the arrival of the new parish priest Francesco Ascolani di Ponzalla, it was decided to build a new place of worship not far from the previous one. In 1618, the archbishop granted authorization for the construction of the baptismal font, and the works were completed in 1623. In 1684, during the pastoral visit of the bishop Jacopo Antonio Morigia, the church was elevated to a Prioria, becoming the most important religious center of the district of Camaggiore, second only to the parish of San Giovanni Decollato. Still in the mid-nineteenth century, the churches of Santa Maria and San Martino were formally united to San Patrizio, but they were probably by then reduced to oratories without parish functions. In 1861, the church received the pastoral visit of the archbishop Gioacchino Limberti. On this occasion, the story of a young local girl, known as Visani (the name is not known), who had become a nun in Monticelli, was brought to his attention. The girl was the protagonist of numerous apparitions of good and evil spirits, and recognizing her holiness, the archbishop hoped that one day she could be proclaimed a saint. In 1929, the church was completely rebuilt in neo-medieval style and consecrated by the auxiliary bishop of Florence, Monsignor Giovacchino Bonardi. Inside, several important artworks are preserved. One of the most significant is a large canvas depicting the Madonna giving the rosary to San Domenico, with the Baby Jesus offering it to Santa Caterina da Siena. Next to them is the figure of San Patrizio, dressed as a bishop, with the mitre and pastoral staff placed on the ground and with the stick used to trace the circle from which the famous well on the islet of Lough Derg in Ireland would have sprung. Above, angels support the medallions of the Rosary mysteries. This painting is the work of Giovanni d'Angelo Rosi (1597-1675), a pupil of Fabrizio Boschi, and dates to a period after the construction of the church in 1623. Another large canvas depicts San Patrizio, always in episcopal attire, distributing communion to the confreres. The work, by an anonymous author, is contemporary with the previous one and is probably the result of a pupil of the Boschi school, although of lesser talent than Rosi. The two paintings show a remarkable similarity in the representation of the saint, suggesting a common source of inspiration. In the lunette above the entrance door, a glazed ceramic depicting the adoration of the Baby Jesus stands out, a decorative element that embellishes the facade of the building.

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