Church of San Rocco

According to this document, the church possessed a small plot of land and a vineyard, suggesting that its construction may have occurred shortly before this date, around the mid-1500s.
A report from the Pastoral Visit of 1589, conducted by Bishop Bardi of Chiusi (when the parish was still under the Diocese of Chiusi), reveals that the church, also known as "Santa Maria di San Rocco," was built by the Monaldeschi della Cervara brothers, feudal lords of Trevinano, who held patronage and the right to appoint its chaplain. Their coat of arms is still visible, carved into the architrave of the entrance portal.
As early as 1606, the need to protect the church from theft was felt. The parish had passed under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Città della Pieve, who ordered a new key to be made and imposed that the church be opened only at certain times of the day, with the silver votive offerings kept in an appropriate case.
The Pastoral Visit of 2 October 1732, conducted by Bishop Alberici, describes the church in considerable detail: the roofed body of the church is separated by an arch from the chapel-shaped rear part, which is vaulted and decorated with frescoes depicting sacred mysteries. The central altar housed an image of the Blessed Virgin with St. Roch and St. Sebastian, surrounded by gilded plaster ornaments. There were ten wooden candlesticks, some painted and gilded, others black, together with silver-painted wooden vases with flowers and framed cards on the shelf. A small bell hung from a small bell tower. The feasts of St Roch (16 August), St Sebastian (20 January) and the Holy Trinity (the Sunday after Pentecost) were celebrated here.

It is not sure when or who decorated the part of the church beyond the arch but unfortunately the frescoes have almost completely disappeared, probably peeling off or covered with lime. Only the figures of St. Roch and St. Sebastian remain on the back wall, severely damaged by neglect and the villainy of man. From the remaining traces, it can be deduced that they were of a good artistic level, perhaps influenced by the Umbro-Senese schools of the second half of the 16th century.
With the rising of the Baroque era, the back wall was heavily framed in stucco. In the centre, there was an oval with a painting representing the Holy Trinity, now lost. Of the remaining figures, that of St. Roch is the most damaged, making an assessment of its artistic value difficult. In contrast, the figure of St. Sebastian is described as sinuous and elegant, with facial features expressing gentle suffering.
The painting depicting the Blessed Virgin with St. Roch and St. Sebastian, which once adorned the altar, probably dates back to the origin of the church, around the middle of the 16th century. The work, commissioned by the cultured and influential Monaldeschi della Cervara family, was not of poor quality.
In the mid-1600s, the Bourbon del Monte family succeeded the Monaldeschi one, having obtained “Jus patronatus” or the right of patronage and its marquis coat of arms can be seen inside the church. Next to the church stood a small four-room house, which has now disappeared, where candles and sacred furnishings were kept. The chaplain celebrated Mass every fourth Sunday of the month and enjoyed the yield of a field near the church, which in 1819 earned 20 Paoli (pontifical coins) a year.
In 1833, all the church's properties were ceded to the Bourbon del Monte family, who undertook to restore and maintain them. The only significant intervention was the transfer of the painting of St. Anthony Abbot from the collapsed church of the same name, placing it on a specially built side altar.
With the construction of a new road, the land in front of the church was lowered, the portal moved and lowered and the three steps were removed, changing the appearance of the side windows. Until 1958, only the feast of St. Anthony Abbot on 17 January was celebrated in this church but then it was permanently closed and abandoned. The altar cloths, travertine font and bell were removed and taken to the castle.
It seemed inevitable that the church would disappear but recent restoration work has saved this historical testimony. The church was completely restored in 1994 by Princess Agnese Boncompagni Ludovisi, who wanted her ashes to be placed inside.
The roof was rebuilt, the perimeter walls consolidated, the portal repaired and the exterior renovated to preserve the colour of the stones. The bell gable was rebuilt with its ancient bell and work was carried out on the floor and altar, including the installation of a lighting system.
The painter and sculptor Mario Vinci restored the back wall, resuming the plaster structure and restoring the fragments of the figures of St. Roch and St. Sebastian, although the result was not considered completely satisfactory. In the central part of the plaster structure, Vinci painted a Madonna and Child and a Crucifix. On the back wall, above the entrance door, the coats of arms of the three families were painted: Monaldeschi della Cervara, Bourbon del Monte and Boncompagni Ludovisi.