The old oratory of Sant’Abbondio stands at the entrance to Masera, when you arrive from the mouth of the Vigezzo Valley. Its odd oblique shape appears to fit the grassy island left by the municipal road, which forks near the building standing on a rocky precipice.
While small in size, the Church of Sant’Abbondio succeeds in conveying a sense of noble elegance in its slim proportions, despite the lack of distinctive ornaments and decorations. The structure dates from the 10th or 11th century, but it was substantially altered and transformed in later centuries. The oratory is now deconsecrated and is used during the Masera’s famous Festa dell’Uva (Grape Festival) as the venue for photographic or art exhibitions.
The village festival was first held long ago in 1925 to celebrate the end of all the farm work and of the grape harvest, before the winter rest period. During the Festa dell’Uva, an enormous bunch of grapes is hung on the Romanesque bell tower of the little church as the symbol of the event that attracts numerous enthusiastic visitors. Recently restored and still an intact and tangible proof of the past history of this religious building, the bell tower welcomes visitors at the entrance to the village, with its square stone base, the low square pyramid of its spire, the first two orders of slot windows and the upper two mullioned windows with two and three lights.
This little church, partly due to its barycentric position, is certainly one of the most symbolic places of worship in the whole Ossola Valley.
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