Santa Maria della Neve Parish Church

Address and contacts

Piazza Bentivoglio - 42044 Gualtieri
Phone 0039 0522 828132
Gualtieri pastoral Unity

Opening times

From 08:00 a.m. to 12:00 and from 02:00 p.m. to 07:00 p.m.

How to get there

See the indication to reach Gualtieri

Historical notes

The present church is not the original building commissioned by Marquis Ippolito to be built “ex novo” at the beginning of the 17th century, but the result of radical renovation works carried out between 1773 and 1783.
The architect Aleotti and the engineer Vacca, who also designed and built Palazzo Bentivoglio, were appointed to design a temple with one nave and two aisles.
The Papal Bull of Pope Paul V Borghese dated 1608 decreed that the new church be dedicated to Our Lady of Snows.
Renovation works carried out toward the end of the 18th century reduced the structure of the church from one nave and two aisles to a single nave.
The works, which took place under the direction of the architect from Gualtieri G. B. Fattori, involved the construction of six side chapels and the replacement of the old coffered ceiling by a suitably protected wooden vault on wooden beams.
The main choir, which had been purchased by the cathedral of Guastalla in 1654, was restored and placed in its original location. The more recent figures of the Apostles and Prophets are in carved walnut.
Overhanging the choir is the ancon painting of Our Lady of Snows.
The first chapel on the left is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, depicted on a large wall painting, and contains the baptismal font with a basin dating back to 1581.
Next to it is the chapel of the Holy Sacrament which contains a fine altar in Verona marble dated 16 July, 1871 made by the sculptor Rossi from Parma.
The third chapel is that of the Torelli Counts. The altar is made of extremely fine marble and the year of construction, 1779, is visible under the family coat-of-arms bearing the German inscription “In Hoffen” (In Hope).
The other three chapels on the right of the church are dedicated to Sant’Antonio da Padova, St. Andrew, and Our Lady of the Rosary respectively.
The most interesting chapel is the central one, dedicated to St. Andrew, also known as the “Chapel of the Community”.
The large painting in this chapel depicts St. Andrew the Apostle, the first Patron Saint of Gualtieri, surrounded by four fellow patron saints of the town. The painting was made by the painter from Brescello Carlo Zatti, who lived between 1810 and 1899. He was commissioned to do the work by the local council in 1844.
The church was re-opened as a place of worship with collegiate status in 1783, as shown by a memorial stone which is still located in the choir.
A few steps down on the left of the altar is the access to the basement of the church and the crypt, where excavations for the emplacement of tombs and relics started as far back as the early 17th century.
One of the most artistically significant works in the church is the Chapel of the Annunciation, located on the upper floor. The final decoration works to complete the chapel were carried out in 1845, with the addition of a scagliola altar above which is the large painting of the Virgin Mary by the painter from Ferrara Carlo Bonone (also known as Bononi), who lived between 1569 and 1632.
The slender bell-tower, built around the middle of the 19th century, was designed by the engineer Frizzi.