Pieve di Santa Giustina

The “Pieve” church of Santa Giustina is located on a hill just outside the town of Palazzolo, heading north towards Bussolengo. It’s  made ​​of stonesarranged in a herringbone moraine and mortar, worked with lozenges to give an artistic touch to the material so poor, and goes back around the year 1000, as it is mentioned in a Bull of Pope Eugenius III May 17, 1145, as ” Plebem Palatioli cum decimis.”

It may also be passed down from our ancestors that Saint Zeno, Bishop of Verona came to celebrate Mass on this hill, halfway between Verona and Lake Garda, to meet and evangelize the lacustrine populations through footpaths that came to hear him. The holy Bishop, a contemporary of Santa Giustina (martyred in 304 a.C.) and the speaker of his own worship, may have prompted the dedication, albeit of an oratory, the Saint.

Oratory that could be built on an old pagan temple. It is also assumed that in the Lombard period, VII -VIII century, there was already a Christian church of great splendor.

The building underwent over time due to several damaging earthquakes (1117 ), and devastation. During the reconstruction the finely worked stone were recovered and inserted into the walls both inside and outside . Even today you can see blocks carved capitals and relate to this period.

Inside you can admire numerous paintings and the strange peculiarity of the two apses despite being built with a single nave: the great apse with the altar stone and the other with the baptismal font. The Romanesque bell tower, erected in 1200, was rebuilt several times due to demolition due to telluric events.

In 1233 the village of Palazzolo, built around the parish church, was set on fire by Ezzelino, a power local Lord. The fire spared only a few houses built in stone and mortar moraine as the parish church, and two are still visible in Cavecchie street, to which they gave it the name. Palazzolo was rebuilt next to the oratory of St. Giacomo.

The liturgical celebrations continued to be held in the parish church until 1533, after that date there is only officiated the solemn festivities of Christmas, Easter Saturday, Easter, Pentecost and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The home of the pastor remained there until 1585. The last reconstruction took place in 1729 and in 1758 , the last one only about the bell tower.