Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta

The current parish church in the centre of the village of Villeneuve, consecrated to Saint Mary of the Assumption, was built in 1792 on the chapel of the old hospital.

The decoration of the facade with “trompe l’oeil” columns by Giuseppe Stornone dates back to 1863 and depicts the ascension of the Virgin in the centre, on the sides Saint Grato and Saint Biagio and in the tympanum the trinity with Jesus, God the father and the dove symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The interior pictorial decoration focuses on the vaults and ceilings.
The main altar in polychrome marble was donated by the Gerbore family at the end of the 1700s.
The altarpiece is from 1914 while the altar facing the people dates back to 1975.

The left altar in painted and gilded wood is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary: the canvas depicts the Virgin enthroned with the child with saints, surrounded by the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.
The altar on the right, in carved wood, partly gilded and painted, is dedicated to Saint Biagio, patron saint of Villeneuve, and to Saint Anthony.

The pipe organ was built by Giovanni Franzetti and his son in 1861.

Curiosity:
In the square in front of the church, there is a frescoed sundial with the date of 1875 and the symbols of knowledge: sextant, globe, hourglass, pen and inkwell. With the equation table it is possible to calculate the time difference at various times of the year, which varies from + 15 to - 16 minutes.

The church is located along the Cammino Balteo hiking trail.