Pieve of Saint Nazario and Celso

Building unique and unrepeatable. stands, completely insulated, approximately two kilometres North-East from Montechiaro d'Asti on the slopes of the green hill called “Bric San Nazario. Strikes from afar visitors to the high campanile chromatic effect and given by alternating bands of sandstone and brick; constitutes an important testimony of the architecture romanica which developed in the 12th century in Monferrato Asti.
The Foundation of the Church dates back to 1130 about on a previous settlement, named Mairano, placed before the year 1000.
In the 1847-49, When the church threatened to crumble, restoration works were started with the removal and partial reconstruction of the Church; only the original façade remained, the Church was disassembled by numbering all its stones and its decorations and then rebuilt as in the original.

The Church bears witness to the flowering period of the Romanesque in the Monferrato area around Asti; recalls stylistically, for the bichromatic reading the walls and for the refinement of the carved decorations, the pieve di San Lorenzo in Montiglio Monferrato and the Church of San Secondo in Cortazzone.

The Church has a gabled façade is marked by alternating horizontal bands of sandstone and clay tiles, with Lombard bands crowning achievement for, simple side areas, Double woven in the central area, that rely on brackets decorated and are surmounted by a carved frame with acanthus leaves running under roof flaps.

The slightly protruding Portal is surmounted by a pointed arch with a double nut: the internal data from a pattern carved with cornucopia, the outer one with a pattern in bicolor “Wolf teeth”, obtained by alternating triangular tiles of stone and bricks. On the right of the door jamb there is a sculpture of animals now much abraded higher, tangent to the outer frame, There is a carved frieze and two short semicolumns huddled that depart from the extremes of the frieze and hold up the plaited double arches. Also in the sides and in the apse we find the chromatic effect of alternating bands of sandstone and terracotta. In the south wall there is a crowning achievement for simple arches resting on Corbels that are sculptured, topped with a carved frame with double weave. On this side there are three mullioned Windows with strong slopes with a round arch made from a single block of stone, decorated with sculpted motifs. The apse has pilasters, Special decorations or: just the usual series of Lombard bands crowning the half cylinder; on it there are three splayed mullioned Windows (of which the central one is buffered). The north face, as usual, is the poorer of decorations: There are hanging arches, but only a series of brackets; the only window on this side view, the arc, decorations with braid and motifs checkerboard pattern.

The Interior of the Church has undergone several restorations and has no particular artistic interest; in the apsidal area there is a fragment of a fresco dating from the 15th century: It recognizes a Saint Catherine of Alexandria).

The Bell Tower, about 20 meters, is a four floors: is made of sandstone ashlars, from the first floor alternating with thin bands of bricks. Seen from the West side it is on the second floor a narrow Lancet window and, higher, a band with a checkered pattern obtained with white stone and red brick. Above this there is a belt stringcourse formats from small arches intertwined (Alternatively stone and bricks) topped with a Ribbon with a “saw-toothed”. On the third floor there is a double Lancet window with a central brick pillar surmounted, by a ring nut that connects at the top the two bows and encloses an area decorated with a mosaic pattern again. The string courses, between the third and fourth floor, is similar to the previous. Less elegant than the one below is the double Lancet window placed on the fourth floor, simple arches topped by another tape with saw-tooth patterns.

Curiosity (verified regularly in the behavior of the now over 8.000 visitors): the people leaving the Church turn left towards the side of life or go straight towards the Sun; almost never turn right towards North, the hand of death: try you too!