Church of Santa Margherita Virgin and Martyr

Description: In the XII-XIII centuries there are records of the Castle and the village of Prugno, under the dominion of the Abbey of S. Maria in Regola, which was also a villa in the Imola countryside. The first records of the church date back to 1256 when it was a rectory in the parish of Tossignano. According to a document from 1427 the church was built in a place carved out of a cliff. The church was still in excellent condition in 1573, according to records of a pastoral visit, only the apse had to be restored due to damage caused by an earthquake. The church walls were painted with frescoes (restored in 1599). The walls were then painted red and decorated with a cross on the top. The church was further restored in 1690, when the church was small (measuring only 7X5.27 m) with beams holding up the ceiling and no chancel. Until the XVII century there was just one altar (restored in 1599), under an arch painted with frescoes with holy images enclosed by a stone balustrade. In 1600 a canvas painting of the Virgin with Saints Margherita and Carlo Borromeo replaced the frescoes. This canvas was also replaced in 1782 by a painting by Giacomo Zampa of the archangel S. Michele. A side altar was built on the right for the devotion of Lucrezia Poggi, in 1666 in honour of S. Antonio of Padova, for which the painting was replaced in 1764 by another canvas by Benedetto dal Buono of Lugo. The remains of Lucrezia Poggi are preserved in front of the altar. In the centre of the church is the common burial place and the priests is in the presbytery. The cemetery was on the land around the church. In the first half of the XVIII century the left side altar was added dedicated to S. Giuseppe, the picture shows the flight of the holy family to Egypt. Today’s church faces east-west and was restored in 1876, the semi-circular chancery was added in 1907. The church is built of exposed stone of different sizes from the surrounding countryside and leans on tuff stone and sandstone. The bell tower is gabled and contains two bells one dating back to 1452. Outside the church there is an artistic nativity scene inspired by the local natural environment which receives a lot of visitors during the Christmas period.