The parish church in Montecrestese is located in an almost hidden position, in a hollow that concealed it from the eyes of all the hamlets. The bell tower, on the contrary, was built in the 12th century in another position, with the clear intent of becoming a point of visual and audible attraction for the community. In fact, it stands on the top of a Serizzo rock that was rounded and smoothed by the ancient Ossola glacier; even today, with its pointed spire, it is the highest bell tower in Ossola Valley. Like other Ossola churches, for a long time the construction served as lookout post in periods of war and epidemics. The very vast horizon visible from the top of the bell tower allows wide-ranging reconnaissance and timely communication to all the hamlets of Montecrestese by the ringing of the bells. Although the Romanesque bell tower was a marvellous and solid construction, at the beginning of the 1500s the inhabitants of Montecrestese decided to modernise not only the church but the bell tower too.
The Romanesque structure was preserved inside the current bell tower and only by climbing up the new tower is it possible to see its original skeleton. The stone staircase that climbs to the belfry is inserted between the old and the new bell tower, which now soars to the considerable height of 67 metres, the tallest in the Ossola Valley.
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