Rustico was Fermo’s squire and the two of them, assisted by a bear and an eagle, roamed the mountains of Val Camonica. This is one of the obscure traditions about the two saints, whom other sources report as having been martyred in Verona, buried in Carthage, and whose remains temporarily returned to Berzo, their homeland. This church, rich in paintings, marble, and guardian of another legend, is dedicated to them.
According to tradition, it was Emperor Maximilian himself who asked these two saints to intercede and save his horses. They had been struck by an epidemic while passing through Berzo on a journey. Miraculously the animals were cured.
On the walls of the church dedicated to Saints Fermo and Rustico, dating back to the 15th century, among paintings by Francesco Lorenzi, Gianbettino Cignaroli, and Federico Ferrario, there are also masterpieces by Gian Paolo Cavagna, a Renaissance-era Bergamasque artist with strong Venetian influences, who created the work dedicated to the Martyrdom of Saints Fermo and Rustico.
Like many other sacred architectures in the area, the façade of the church is clad in white Dolomia, the precious ornamental marble extracted from the nearby quarries of Zandobbio. Next to the building, on the ruins of an ancient castle whose traces have been lost, there is now an 18th-century bell tower, while the first traces of a place of worship before the church date back to 712 A.D. .
DETAILS OF INTEREST:
– The sacristy of the Fantonian school and the inlaid crucifix;
– Works by Gian Paolo Cavagna, Francesco Lorenzi, Gianbettino Cignaroli, Federico Ferrario.
VISIT INFORMATION:
– By appointment, upon request to the parish priest;
– The duration of the visit is around 30 minutes;
– There is a car-park.
