SCUROLO DI SANT’AGAPITO

Lo Scurolo di San Agapito: The debut of Alessandro Antonelli

The scurolo dedicated to the patron saint of Maggiora is a milestone in the career of Alessandro Antonelli. This is the first project that the architect and engineer set his hand to, having been involved in it since 1819 when he was still a student.

The impetus for the building came directly from the people of Maggiora who, despite the poverty of the period, decided in 1817 to honour the Prenestine martyr Agapito with a “sumptuous factory” to house his remains. The architectural challenge was complex: the structure had to be placed in an elevated area relative to the nave. The parish council, led by the lawyer Antonio Antonelli, entrusted the young Alessandro, who proposed a original staircasea first branch that matches the steps of the chapels and then splits into two paths carved into the pillars of the church, creating a striking perspective effect.

A building site between challenges and expectations

The path was not without obstacles. Although the famous Professor Amati in Milan had praised the young pupil's solution, he had also warned him about the delicacy of the operation. The citizens of Maggiora, however, chose to wait for Antonelli to complete his training in order to have his signature on the work.

Officially, Antonelli directed the work from 1826 to 1838, integrating Zanoia's original designs with his own innovative techniques. He himself recalled the difficulties:

“With continued assistance, amidst the quarrels of the parties, I was able to carry out the arduous work and establish a communication between the sacristy of the darkle and that of the church...”

Under his direction they were realised:

• La Case and vault decorations.
• The hypogeous connection with the sub-sculpture for the Martyr's urn.
• The lowering of the road surface (a subject of strong local disagreement).

The Inauguration and the Artistic Legacy

In 1838, the small temple was finally inaugurated by Cardinal Morozzo. Antonelli did not limit himself to the scurolo: he intervened on the baptistery and transformed two side chapels into the Neoclassical style, attempting to mitigate the building's Baroque imprint.

Curiously, official documents of the time are almost non-existent; the memory of the work has come down to us thanks to a booklet by his grandson Costanzo Benzi. The only accounting record dates back to 1841: a payment of 200 lira for the presence of the professor during the patronal celebrations.

Architectural features

Today, the scurolo is a jewel of linearity and light:

• Access: Black marble stairs, first fan-shaped and then bifurcated, framed by white balustrades.
• Structure: A central dome supported by green marble columns with Corinthian capitals, flanked by four half-barrels decorated with rosettes.
• The interior: Marbled walls in pinkish hue, festoon friezes and grotesques.
• The Altar: Dominating the room is a gilded wooden urn with caryatid angels holding the simulacrum of Saint Agapitus.