Not far from the centre of Endine Gaiano there is the 15th century church of San Remigio, which at one point was destroyed by flooding from the river and not rebuilt. Then when the the plague arrived in the Val Cavallina, the old hamlet on the shores of the lake was miraculously spared and so its inhabitants decided to reconstruct the church out of gratitude. The church has a curious bell tower with a fascinating knightly past.
The brutal plague which hit Europe in 1630 left its mark not only on the pages of the famous novel I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni, but also brought about the reconstruction of the church of San Remigio as an ex voto expression of thanks by the inhabitants of Endine Gaiano who survived it.
The current portico with its three open arches was added to the 17th century church in 1850 and a recent restoration has returned the church to good order both inside and out.
Once through the entrance portal, one can admire a Madonna and Child with Saints Remigio and Alexander painted by Domenico Carpinoni, whose pictorial style recalls that of Palma Il Vecchio, another great Bergamasche artist.
The bell tower, by contrast, is imposing and enigmatic: it is made of solid stone from Gaiano and does not in fact date from the same time as San Remigio. It was a pre-existing tower that belonged originally to a castle of the Knights of Saint George.
