San Tommaso da Canterbury Parish Church

In the heart of the Reggio Emilia plain, amidst expanses of fields and rows of vines, stands the St Thomas of Canterbury Parish Church, a place of worship with ancient and fascinating roots.

The earliest records date back to 1230, when the chapel of Gattatico was placed under the parish of Sant’Eulalia di Sant’Ilario.
Since then, its history has followed that of the religious institutions in the area: in 1628 it came under the Vicariate of Castelnovo di Sotto, then in 1691 it returned to the jurisdiction of Sant’Ilario, before finally becoming part of the Diocese of Reggio Emilia in 1853.
The church, dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury, has Romanesque origins, although over the centuries it has undergone numerous alterations and renovations that have changed its original appearance.
The ancient entrance was in fact to the east, where the choir and presbytery are now located, evidence of an early layout oriented according to medieval liturgical tradition.

Among the most precious vestiges of its past is a carved brick bearing the image of an angel, dating from the 11th–12th centuries: a small but significant relic of the Romanesque period.
The current façade, oriented liturgically, reveals 15th-century features.
It is marked by a double row of blind arches in the eaves cornice and dominated by an arched portal, surmounted by a large vaulted niche supported by elegant half-columns.
The slender and harmonious bell tower was built in 1882: the belfry features single-lancet windows with pointed arches and a spired roof, which stands out clearly against the sky of the Reggio lowlands.