PARISH  CHURCH

The Parish of Corneliano d'Alba is dedicated to St. Gallo and Nicola. Neverthenless the patronal feast is dedicated to St. Anna and it is celebrated at the last Sunday of July as it was established in 1735 by the civil community after a vote to remove more calamities which were dejected on the country in that period.

A valuable woody statue of 1737 still give evidence of the devotion to the Madonna's Mother. It is a work of the sculptor Giovanni Battista Bonzanigo, and it represents St. Anna with Child Mary.

The ancient parish which rose at the middle of the hill near the medieval installation of the country (but pleviously the church was St. Celso), was demolished because it was old and tottering, and the build of the actual church started in 1748 under the project of the Count Carlo Giacinto Roero.

But the next year the works were interrupted because of the Count's death and the axaustion of the available founds.

The works started again in 1752 with a new project of the architect engineer Giovanni Peruzzi ( the autographical sign is "Peruzio") of Asti - who therefore is the real artificer - ant were continued, more or less with continuity, untill the 1760.

The bell cell and the coronation of the church - realized between the years 1772 and 1773 - were projected by the architect Marco Tommaso Bertolio of  Turin. The work of building were execuded by workmen of the master-builders Pinchetti and Luganese. The consacration took place in 1773 by the Asti Bishop Mons. Paolo Maurizio Caisotti.

The architecture is inspired by Juvarria models (until short time ago - before the volume of Walter Accigliaro of 1992 - the painting was attributed to the same Juvarra) and Victorian models, with some influences of Benedetto Alfieri of Asti, the successor of Juvarra as royal architect at the Savoy court. The plan of the parish is on single nave, with a "pentagonal" apse (the sides aren't homogeneous) somewhat expanded. Inside there are four lateral altars: Jesus' Holy Heart ( of St. Anna yet) and Saints Francesco Saverio and Rocco on the right of the greater altar; Mary's Holy Heart (of St. Rosario yet) and the suffrage, on the left. The greater altar - dedicated to Saints Gallo and Nicola -was realized with polychrome marbles in 1770. The ancient and valuable holy water stoup of stone with four sculptured heads, keep rising at the first middle of XIV century and it is probably coming from the previous parish (it was demolished).

Inside, the present pictorial decoration was executed between 1875 and 1887: the part of ornament were works of brothers Barelli and the configuration were of Morgari. The eighteenth-century lateral altar - pieces and the greater (1785) on the choir are works of the painter Pietro Paolo Operti of Bra. The statue of Madonna's Holy,  is a work of the sculptor Raffi, and it was executed between 1775 and 1780. The two lateral paintings at the greater altar of 1886, executed by Rodolfo Morgari of Turin, hide the original eighteenth-century frescos that represent the Nativity and the adoration of the Holy Kings. The restorations of the holy building, that lasted a few years, were concluded in 1992.

We still point out that in the last years 1813/1814 the Parish of Corneliano had, as vice-curate, the future St. Giuseppe Cottolengo. An oil-paintig of the recent years '30 rapresents him in the act to help a poor family, with Corneliano in the background.

List of parish priest

D. Bernardo Cavallero, parish priest in 1564  (?-?); D. Fabrizio di Incisa,  parish priest in  1579 (?-?); D. Antonio (Emilio?) Angelero of Acqui (1588-?); D. Valerio (1605-1616); D. Giorgio Tarditi (1618-1650?); D. Giovanni Pietro Germano of  Corneliano (1656-1660); D. Antonio Francesco Vernasso of  Bra (1660-1671); D. Giovanni Stefano Natta (1671-1674); D. Giovanni Battista Bottis of Guarene (1674-1716); D. Bartolomeo Borsotto of Cisterna d’Asti (1717-1726); D. Giovanni Battista Genovesio (1726-1738); D. Giulio Michele Marchetti  of Castagnito (1738-1769); D. Carlo Goria of  Villafranca d’Asti (1770-1773); D. Giovanni Battista Pia di Montegrosso (1773-1828); D. Giovanni Felice Violardi of  Govone (1828-1862); D. Giovanni Antonio teol. Giavelli of  La Morra (1862-1911); D. Vincenzo Calliano of Corneliano (1911-1964); D. Ambrogio Corino of S.Vittoria d’Alba (1964-2000); D. Italo Vignola 1-9-2000.

ST. BERNARDINO'S CONFRATERNITY

After the distruction of the old parish church to which it leant, the Disciplinanti Brotherhood's Church or Oratory ("battuti bianchi"), dedicated to St. Bernardino, actually remains the oldest holy building of Corneliano. Its construction dates back to the second half of the sixteenth-century with some remploy of roman bricks. Fortunately we still have the book-keeping register from 1611, by which we can follow trustworthly the vicissitude. In 1612 the Brotherhood obtained the aggregation to Archconfraternity from Vatican, institution which collected other brotherhood of the same intitute whose seat is in Rome.

Inside we preserve the sixteenth-century altar-piece, recently ascribed to Giovanni Antonio Molineri painter from Savigliano and member of the team (datable about 1620/25), Francesco de Brayda's gravestone, who died in 1608. Outside, a late Thirteent-century image St. Nicola from the old Parish church is embedded in the bell tower façade. After the demolition of that one, the Confraternity was enlarged and adapted to the style of  the time. The Confraternity as well as the whole tableland where it stands are actually time being restored.

Still alive is St. Bernardino's Association, legal and historical heir of St. Bernardino's Disciplining Brotherhood, whose rules and purposes have been  received, integrated with cultural interest, according to code of Canon Law n° 321/326. Sticking to a state document of 23^rd July 1859, members elect a Prior on 27^th december.

SANCTUARY OF THE LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION

It is a very old place of worship (located on the Roman road from Asti to Pollenzo) but the first documentary evidence dates back to first years of seventeenth-century. The present holy building, though with many interventions in the second half of the nineteenth-century and also more recent, probably dates back to a reconstruction which took place about in the half of the eighteenth-century.

An icon of great value, dated 1606, is preserved in the central part of the choir. In the painting, at that time commissioned by Domenico Frea, are rapresented the Saints Cosma, Damiano and Stefano (Stephen).

On 14^th August 1857 in the interior was placed a ligneous statue representing the Lady of the Assumption, work of Antonio Roasio from Mondovì (Bardineto [Sv] 1808-Mondovì [Cn] 1886).  

With regard to that, in the parish archives two receipts are kept: in advance £ 1000 (€ 0,52) on 25^th january 1858 (after the Municipality, that claimed a right of priority on that Church, had authorized the payment) and payment in full £ 1300 (€ 0,67) dated 19^th December 1861. In connexion with this we quote some expression of the parish report  of the year 1934, drawn up by the parish Priest Mons. Vincenzo Calliano: "we celebrate every year with extraordinary devotion the novena and Assumption. In the holy day we go in procession to Castellero Church and, after ceremony, we carry the Madonna's statue in procession to the parish Church. For two Sundays the holy shroud is exposed in the parish to the believers' veneration, then in the morning of the second Sunday we carry it in procession to its church and there we celebrate the Mass with the believers, who feel a very tender devotion to our dear Lady of the Assumption". The tradition of the procession is still more alive than ever: on 15^th August people of Corneliano, also the one live far, hardly renounce to attend to the rite of carriage - rigorously alwais on bearers' (portatori) shoulders (often from generation) - of the Lady of the Assumption's statue from the Sanctuary to the Parish.

Annexe to the Church is the eighteenth-century house of the hermit, who kept it. Behind the Church on 21^st September 1952 was inaugurated - with Alba Bishop Mons. Paolo Stoppa's blessing - a large hall for pilgrims' reception. In this hall 226 votive picture are preserved, the greatest collection of Roero.

SAINT TRINITY CHURCH

The first part of the present church was built around the middle of the XVII century thanks to benevolent charity and it was integrated into the company of the holy tomb. Inside there are valuable decorations in plaster which adorn the three altars over which are standing two painting: the Saint Trinity and the Lady of the Assumption [Vergine Assunta] (upper altar) and the painting of the "Angelo Custode", Saint Lucy (Lucia) - 1718 - and of the holy Family whit the "Beata Caterina of Mattei from Racconigi" (lateral altars). Recent repairs began eight years ago ended in 1997. To be seen there is also the old painting of Saint Lucy (first quarter of XVI century) which is today the eldest in Corneliano it was recently repaired together with two smaller paintings which show Saint John of the Cross and Saint Theresa of Avila. In the sacristy a collection of coat-of-arms of all the families had owned the country or part of the country of Corneliano is preserved. The collection was done in 1997 by Giuseppe Croce from Alba and it was given to the church .Nowadays the church is taken Care by the  commission "D'la dau ri" (beyond the river) which has taken the place, at the end of restoration the restructuring commettee. According to an old tradition the Prior was elected on the 13^th of  December, the day of Saint Lucy.  

CHURCH OF SAINT ELIZABETH

At the bottom of the walls around the flat area of the old church and the Saint Bernardino confraternity the church of  Saint Elizabeth of the company of humiliated a rose around 1740 after the fall of an old building which was occupied by the confraternity of the holy spirit and then by a school. Inside it is possible to see two paintings: the former is the one of the entitled Saint and the latter the "Annunziata".

SAINT MIKE CHURCH

First news about this church are from the XVIII century because of a back of direct relevant informations of the previous ages. An analisys done in 1918 points out that the holy buildings has had conditions to begin any restructuring attempt. So it was destroyed and in 1920 it was rebuilt.

SAINT  BERNARDO CHAPEL

It had been already mentioned in a testament in 1558 it is placed on the eastern part of the tower and at the beginning of the upper road to the town of Piobesi. Inside there is a painting showing Saint Bernard and Saint Grato. The chapel was restructured in 1979.