- Villages
- Centre Corse
- Venaco
Venaco
Venacu, 666 Population 198 to 2626 meters 5372 hectares
The merger of the villages of Serragio and Lugo-di-Venaco
Venaco is a mountainous village with 666 inhabitants in the center of Corsica. Since 1874, the commune has grouped the former villages of Serragio in the south (the main village), and Lugo-di-Venaco in the north, which belonged to the pieve of Venaco and were only separated by 500 meters.
Churches and religious monuments of Venaco
Saint-Michel Church of Serragio
The Saint-Michel Church of Serragio is the parish church of Venaco and formerly of the village of Serragio. It dates back to the 17th century.
It is located in the center of the village below the fire station, and the priest who officiates is Father Tomasz Sobera.
The church has a five-story stone bell tower integrated into the yellow facade of the building. It is built in the center of a square with a view of the mountains.
Sainte-Catherine Chapel
The Sainte-Catherine Chapel is located near the historic center of the former village of Serragio. It is adjacent to houses and has a small square with a fountain.
Saint-Antoine Church of Lugo
Situated on sloping ground less than a kilometer from Saint-Michel, the Saint-Antoine Church of Lugo was constructed in three stages:
It was initially an oratory, a place of prayer dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, built, it is estimated, in the 17th century and confirmed by the Terrier plan of 1776. The building then became a choir and was expanded with a nave in 1809, before the sacristy and the bell tower were added later in 1886.
The bell tower was constructed by master mason Michel Levanti starting in 1879. Other improvement and restoration works were carried out during the 19th century, including the marble flooring in 1860.
Today, the Church once again requires restoration work. Therefore, a rehabilitation project and call for donations has been launched on the heritage foundation's website to fund the work.
Forest of Cervellu
To the south of the commune's territory, on the road that climbs to the Eiffel bridge, lies the forest of Cervellu, consisting mainly of pine trees.
Village of Marc' Antonio Ceccaldi
Venaco is the birthplace of Marc' Antonio Ceccaldi, born into a notable family and recognized as one of the first, if not the first, island historian. He is the author of the work Historia di Corsica, 1464 - 1560, which he could not publish as he died at the age of 41. His work was taken up by Anton Pietro Filippini, who added a part to the work and published it in 1594, and to whom the entire work was long attributed, notably under Pasquale Paoli two centuries later. It is only recently that the work has been reattributed to Marc' Antonio Ceccaldi. The Vescovato native, whose life is little known, seemed to advocate for a shared governance of power between the Corsican elites and the Genoese, under the Office of Saint George, considered the first banking organization in the world.
Ceccaldi was also a peacemaker with humanist qualities imbued with Christian values, though some criticized him for his Genoese connections or his bourgeois character.
The work is available at this link Histoire de la Corse, 1464-1560.
