The Church of Tree,
an ancient village of shepherds
in the municipality of Marradi
in the municipality of Marradi
Claudio Mercatali
The church and rectory
S. Maria ad Nives (the snow) is the name of the church of delicate tree, a small village in the municipality of Marradi. For those who do not know we are in the valley of the ditch Scheta Voltàlto, lateral Campigno Valley, which in itself is quite isolated. So we are in the heart of 'mountains to a place where you get if you go there on purpose, because the road ends here, in front of the church. The old site is in the midst of vast meadows where the cattle once grazed. From there, the shepherds moved to Borgo Montone, near Ravenna, in contrast to the shepherds who mostly went to Campigno Roccastrada, in Maremma.
Santa Maria ad Nives fifteen years ago, was desecrated, why is a tree that has four village residents and revives a bit 'summer only. The church is not art and it is plain, however, inspires sympathy.
Santa Maria ad Nives fifteen years ago, was desecrated, why is a tree that has four village residents and revives a bit 'summer only. The church is not art and it is plain, however, inspires sympathy.
The small town of Tree in 1833
(paper cadastre
of Grand Duke Leopold).
is still so today.
(paper cadastre
of Grand Duke Leopold).
is still so today.
Faenza The Curia is going to sell it and will do so when they are de sold here received the last sacraments, according to the custom which the Church follows in these cases. This from the ecclesiastical point of view is right, because they died when a church has no more faithful, but from the point In human terms it is quite sad and we hope it will not happen.
The last parish priest who lived in the rectory of tree was Don Domenico Blacks, Mengoni Don for his parishioners. Very unusual character, and ra a sort of Don Abbondio which has remained a memory of episodes made tasty:
... The sermons often said that "... the Lord is like the owl, he sees you and you do not (the owl is a bird, not very lively, which is nestled in the treetops and blends in well).
... Fumava la pipa e un giorno, mentre so nnecchiava in groppa al mulo che lo portava a casa, gli cadde dalla bocca e andò a finire fra la sella e la pelle dell’animale. La povera bestia, scottata, prese la rincorsa con il prete in groppa e i contadini del podere di Guiàttola lo videro passare dall’aia che urlava: “… e gévle, e gévle …” (il diavolo … il diavolo).
... Don Domenico, nei festivi saliva a Val della Meda per dire messa. I c ontadini of that site and especially the Marquis Matteucci, owner of the farm, no n down trees, because it was too far away. Sometimes it started on Saturday and spent the night at the farm, to play cards with the Marquis to watch. One Sunday, having raised his elbow a bit 'too much previous evening, during the sermon he spoke of confusion and even crack the cups and the Marquis did not fail then to tease, with a certain number of beats Chianti, Sangiovese and vin santo.
The parish had 216 souls in 1833 and more or less remained the same for a century. Then began the depopulation, slow to fast in the thirties and fifties.
here during the First World War there was at least one death in every family. These poor shepherds counted for little and it was the right people to be sent to slaughter in the trenches. The plaque on the facade of the church law that went into sixty and back in forty-eight, half of disabled or handicapped.
Winter is a good season to film in these places, especially if there is snow and a beautiful day sun, but we must be well trained. A trek can be fun in the spring, if you want to make a dozen miles on foot. It starts and goes to Biforco Marradi (2 km), it takes Campigno and after three kilometers to reach the junction tree. The road is paved and comfortable (1.5 km). Then you can climb up to Trebbo Val dla Meda (about 2 km) as did Don Mengoni, along a path in which there is to sweat a bit 'and from there down to Marradi (5 km) along the paved road that
passes from Badia del Borgo, a church old, who was one of Vallombrosa monks, with its beautiful Romanesque bell tower, the opposite of St. Mary.
The last parish priest who lived in the rectory of tree was Don Domenico Blacks, Mengoni Don for his parishioners. Very unusual character, and ra a sort of Don Abbondio which has remained a memory of episodes made tasty:
... The sermons often said that "... the Lord is like the owl, he sees you and you do not (the owl is a bird, not very lively, which is nestled in the treetops and blends in well).
... Fumava la pipa e un giorno, mentre so nnecchiava in groppa al mulo che lo portava a casa, gli cadde dalla bocca e andò a finire fra la sella e la pelle dell’animale. La povera bestia, scottata, prese la rincorsa con il prete in groppa e i contadini del podere di Guiàttola lo videro passare dall’aia che urlava: “… e gévle, e gévle …” (il diavolo … il diavolo).
... Don Domenico, nei festivi saliva a Val della Meda per dire messa. I c ontadini of that site and especially the Marquis Matteucci, owner of the farm, no n down trees, because it was too far away. Sometimes it started on Saturday and spent the night at the farm, to play cards with the Marquis to watch. One Sunday, having raised his elbow a bit 'too much previous evening, during the sermon he spoke of confusion and even crack the cups and the Marquis did not fail then to tease, with a certain number of beats Chianti, Sangiovese and vin santo.
The parish had 216 souls in 1833 and more or less remained the same for a century. Then began the depopulation, slow to fast in the thirties and fifties.
here during the First World War there was at least one death in every family. These poor shepherds counted for little and it was the right people to be sent to slaughter in the trenches. The plaque on the facade of the church law that went into sixty and back in forty-eight, half of disabled or handicapped.
Winter is a good season to film in these places, especially if there is snow and a beautiful day sun, but we must be well trained. A trek can be fun in the spring, if you want to make a dozen miles on foot. It starts and goes to Biforco Marradi (2 km), it takes Campigno and after three kilometers to reach the junction tree. The road is paved and comfortable (1.5 km). Then you can climb up to Trebbo Val dla Meda (about 2 km) as did Don Mengoni, along a path in which there is to sweat a bit 'and from there down to Marradi (5 km) along the paved road that
passes from Badia del Borgo, a church old, who was one of Vallombrosa monks, with its beautiful Romanesque bell tower, the opposite of St. Mary. The access road to the village
