Via Roma, 51 - 23030 Cepina (SO)
By the end of the Middle Ages, almost every village in the Bormio area had its own church.
The one in Santa Maria di Cepina was first erected in 1356 and then reworked in the following two centuries to respond to the needs of a growing population. The loggia on the counter-façade, supported on massive columns, was one way to increase capacity. The beautiful portal made of locally quarried granite features a frescoed lunette dating to the late 15th century. It contains a Trinity with Saints Gervasius and Protasius (1498) by a painter who was old- fashioned in his day but nevertheless pleased the local patrons. It is complemented by works that were then more in step with the times and more focused on doctrinal content. One example is the magnificent Tyrolean Flügelaltar (winged altar) dating to c. 1510-1520 for the then newly remodeled presbytery. The doors of this altarpiece were opened only on special liturgical celebrations to reveal the statues within: the Virgin and Child with Saints Barbara and Magdalene. They are decorated inside and out: when open, they reveal the Presentation of Mary and the Assumption; when closed the Adoration of the Magi based on an engraving by Albrecht Dürer. Tradition has it that the altarpiece was purchased in Santa Maria Val Müstair (Switzerland) when the spread of Protestantism led to a sell-off of works of sacred art, however there is little to support this legend. The presence of furnishings in German or Tyrolean style can be explained by the well- documented presence of German-speaking artisans in the Bormio area who were able to travel across the nearby Alpine passes. The church was further expanded in the 17th century and in 1744 the Flügelaltar was removed and replaced with a newly conceived polychrome marble altar featuring a marble statue of the patroness saint: Our Lady of the Assumption (1753).
The statue is the work of Giovan Battista Adamo from Carona, a member of a Ticino bottega that was very active in Valtellina. Next to the church stands triple-arched 18th- century ossuary, rather grand for such a small community. To meet the high cost, the locals sought of wine and grain throughout Valtellina.
We now enjoy the splendid results of their ambition: through a spectacular wrought iron screen (1725-27) crafted by the blacksmith Giuseppe Pini of Grosio, we glimpse frescoes by Alessandro Valdani(1739). The old tabernacle made of local marble (1579) can be seen in a corner, the work of Simone Sassella, a stonecutter from Grosio. The Cammino Mariano leads us out of Cepina toward Sondalo, passing through several kilometers of uninhabited land. We will soon discover why.
