Church de l'Assomption

The collegiate church of the Assumption-Santa Maria Assunta is located in Speloncato, Upper Corsica. It was first a Romanesque church that was built in 1509, but was promoted to a collegiate church in 1749. This required profound changes: the Santa Croce oratory, on the right side, was destroyed and rebuilt, and two collaterals, a baroque choir and exrta decoration were also added. The collegiate church is home to many objects listed as Historical Monuments, including several paintings and a historic organ.

About this building

The Collegiate Church of the Assumption - Santa Maria Assunta is located in Speloncato, in Haute-Corse. It was first Romanesque church that was built in 1509 then consisting of a single nave and a salient transept.

The church was promoted to a collegiate church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1749 and confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1766. This entailed profound changes: the Santa Croce oratory on its right side was destroyed and rebuilt. At the same time, two collaterals, a Baroque choir and a polychrome stuck decoration were added. The neo-Romanesque bell tower dates from 1913. The collegiate church was restored in 1970.

It houses many objects listed as Historical Monuments, including the canvas ‘The Last Communion of a Saint King’ from the seventeenth century and the shrine of the relics of San Vittoriu, a martyr of the late third century. It also has a Crudeli historical organ (1810) and a tribune (1821) by Anto Giuseppe Saladini, who was born in Speloncato.

Key Features

  • Architecture

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Pierre Bona

Church of the Annunciation

This church is astonishing in its simplicity. Located at the top of the village of Saint'Antonino, it is composed of a relatively simple and refined architecture. However, the interior is quite the opposite. It presents flowers, a multitude of colours. The contrast between the two is striking.

Wikimedia Commons

Church of the Annunciation

This church is a former collegiate church, first built in the 17th century, then raised to the rank of collegiate church in the 18th century by Pope Benedict VI. It underwent a lot of work and renovations in the 19th century, such as the pediment on the main façade. The apse and the triumphal arch are decorated with magnificent neo-classical paintings, dating from the 19th century.

Calvi Cathedral

Located in the citadel, the cathedral was originally built in the 13th century, and seems to have been destroyed in 1555, during the siege of the city by the French and Turks, whose fleets bombed the citadel. In 1567, lightning struck the powder magazines of the citadel and destroyed the church. It will be rebuilt in 1570, after a partial destruction. However, work only began around 1600, the choir was not completed until 1628 and the rest of the building in 1747. It became pro-cathedral in 1576 thanks to Pope Gregory XIII, when the bishops of Sagona established their residence there and during this period it became the seat of the diocese of Sagona.