San Ponzo semola

S. Ponzo arose near a church. Ottone I gave S. Ponzo and Cecima to the bishop of Pavia in 957 (1). San Ponzo hadn't walls or castles; it had only three dovecotes.S. Ponzo was parish church. Balduino, in 1229, was the archpriest of San Ponzo, then, in 1380, Don Antonio Cristiano was the archpriest (3); in 1405 Enrico De Barachi helped Giacomo De Garazzi, archpriest of San Ponzo, because many people in his feuds wouldn't pay the lease (4). In 1465 there were 200 habitants; in 1820 there were 261 habitants.The church, during the last years, was restructure. It is like the abbey of Sant'Alberto.The church has nave and two aisles. The nave is 28 meters long. There was a hall near the principal door. Probably in the hall the priest baptized the people. The baptismal font is a cylindrical basin hollow in pudding-stone. There was an external door to go into the end of the church. Probably strong walls surrounded this part. The tower bell is in the end of Gospel aisles. Patron of this church is San Ponzo. He was a soldier of Tebea legion and to survive he went to Fortunago. Then he went to Staffora valley where he lived in a cave. He was Christian and for this he censured and he was decapitate between Cecima and San Ponzo. Now is possible visit the cave where San Ponzo lived. In San Ponzo there are two date to celebrate the saint; the first is 2nd September into the church the second in spring time into the cave. On 14th May, in Fortunago, celebrate the San Ponzo's martyrized.Under the high altar there is a glass urn. It contains the San Ponzo's bones. Before they were in a wood urn in the high chorus.Legè wrote that in San Ponzo there were two saints; the first one is the oldest and he celebrate on September, the second one was younger than the first and he was an hermit and he celebrate on May. The remains in the church appertain, probably, to the second saint. 

(1) Legè: Storia di Montalto, pag. 63. (2) Le Carte, vol. 1'1, pag. 36 e 168. (3) Legè: Documenti  degli Archivi di Voghera, a quell'anno, pag. 367. (4) Tonso Pemigotti: Manoscritti esistenti nell'Accademia delle Scienze di Torino.