Church of Saints Philip and James, and Bell Tower

Site overview

The building is located in the centre of town, along the provincial road, positioned above a wide podium on the right. It is situated close to the houses on its left and faces east. The structure has a rectangular layout with three naves, each divided into three bays. The central nave features a ceiling of sail vaults supported by three arches. The presbytery is covered by a sail vault with groins, while the side naves, starting from the entrance, have a sail vault followed by two groin vaults.

The interior volume is separated by a moulded cornice that encircles the entire perimeter. The main façade features a vertical division into three sections, showcasing plastered surfaces and a layered order composition. The central part of the façade is split into two levels by a moulding; the lower level has a double-leaf wooden door and a round-arched window, which is larger than the side windows. Above this moulding, there’s an aedicule with three arches supported by two small columns, with a statue of Jesus in the centre. The side elevations have a thin plaster coating, through which the underlying masonry is visible. The bell tower, integrated into the church structure, rises to the left of the apse on a square base, with an open belfry on all four sides, topped by a stone spire. The building remains well-preserved both inside and outside.

The building features a rectangular layout with three naves, each subdivided into three bays. Its main façade exhibits Neoclassical elements, divided vertically into three sections by two pilasters with capitals and bases that extend up to the pediment. The central section is further divided into two orders by a moulding; it includes a double-leaf wooden door and a larger round-arched window compared to those on the sides. Above the moulding, an aedicule with three arches supported by two small columns houses a statue of Jesus at the centre. The side façades are covered with a thin plaster layer, revealing the underlying masonry.

Projecting pilasters rise from the walls and are connected at the base by a plinth. At the rear of the church, there are three openings: two windows that illuminate the oratory and a secondary entrance. The structure is built of load-bearing masonry. The ceiling of the central nave features three sail vaults, separated by three transverse arches with raised intrados, and is divided from the side naves by three longitudinal arches. In the presbytery, the sail vault includes two groins, while the side naves, starting from the entrance, have a sail vault followed by two groin vaults, all separated by transverse arches with raised intrados. These vaults originate from a lower height than those of the central nave and are supported by cruciform pillars. The interior space is divided by a moulded cornice that runs around the entire perimeter.

The double-pitched roof features a timber frame covered with stone slabs. Inside, the walls are finished with plaster. The interior decorations of the central nave’s architectural elements date back to 1913 and were created by painter Guglielmino from the Reffo school in Turin. On the right side of the church, three rounded-arch windows illuminate the interior in the lunettes, while the corresponding windows on the opposite side are only painted. A wooden mezzanine above the entrance is accessible from outside the building. The side naves house four small altars: two in the central bays and two on the end walls flanking the presbytery, dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, the Souls in Purgatory, the Holy Spirit, and St Anthony the Abbot. The main hall’s floor is made of local stone slabs, whereas the presbytery is paved with marble and is raised above the Eucharistic hall.

The high altar dedicated to Saints Philip and James features a Baroque style with carved wooden elements finished in gold. It includes four twisted columns with capitals and putti at the top of the antependium. The congregation sits in battalion pews aligned with the hall’s shape and size. To the left of the apse of the parish church, which is also dedicated to Saints Philip and James, stands an ancient bell tower from the 11th century. This Romanesque structure, a symbol of Chialamberto, has a commanding profile that dominates the village with its harmonious proportions. It hints at an earlier, now lost, place of worship. The tower reaches 28 metres including the spire, is square in plan, built of locally quarried stone that is roughly dressed and dry-assembled. It is accented with corner pilasters and divided into six levels by projecting stone string courses. Mullioned windows with small arches frame the belfry on all sides, with clock faces below, and the top is finished with a stone spire. Like most medieval bell towers, it served both to ring bells for religious services and as a civic signal for danger, assemblies, or curfew.

The Great Bell weighs 805 kg and measures 1.10 m in diameter at its base. It was recast in 1952 by Roberto Mazzola’s firm from Valduggia (Novara), arriving in Chialamberto that December. The bell symbolises a history not fully documented but intertwined with the building’s antiquity and the village’s central role.

On June 30, 2018, three new bells were installed, funded by the parish through a bequest from the late Guido Chino, a benefactor and military air force captain who died in 2017. The blessing ceremony was led by episcopal vicar Father Claudio Baima Rughet and parish priest Father Claudio Pavesio. The first bell is dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine of Ciavanis, the second to Saints Peter and Paul, and the third to St Joseph.