Painting of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian

This large canvas is now located in the Municipality of Ravarino, but it was originally the altarpiece of the oratory of San Rocco, erected in Ravarino in 1631 as a votive offering for the end of the plague. The recently restored painting depicts Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch and holds particular historical interest: in the background, the center of Ravarino is portrayed as it would have appeared in the early decades of the 1600s, complete with walls, towers, and the fortress, or as it was then called, the old palace of the Rangoni family. In 1643, the palace and much of the town were burned and destroyed by papal troops that attacked Ravarino during the so-called Castro War, which pitted the Papal States against the Duchies of Modena and Parma, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the Republic of Venice, which were allied against them. The ancient village and its fortress were thus lost just a few years after being depicted on this canvas. Today, part of the palace’s foundations can be seen in the section of the park that connects Via Roma to Via Borgo Franco.