Church of Saint Anne and Cemetery (Chiesa di Sant'Anna e cimitero)
The Church
The small church stands on the edge of the village and features a simple gabled façade with a serizzo stone portal topped by a broken pediment and flanked by two small grated windows. At the top, above the portal, opens a large window. In ancient times it was dedicated to Saint Fedele, which suggests a probable medieval origin, since the body of the martyr was discovered in 964 and later transferred to Como, encouraging the spread of his cult in the area. The first certain record of the church dates to 1567. At that time, it was modest in size, with the apse facing the lake and no bell tower or sacristy. Opposite the entrance stood a monastery of Augustinian nuns who were later moved to Cremeno in the Valsassina valley. The heavily altered building next to the church today is what remains of that monastery.
At the beginning of the 17th century, after repeated flooding of the lake, work was carried out to change the orientation of the church: the apse was demolished, and the current façade was built in its place. These works also affected the barrel-vaulted roof and the arches along the walls, which covered the original frescoes later rediscovered during restorations in 1928 and 2012. Starting from the entrance, the first panel shows an imposing 14th-century Saint Christopher, next to a damaged fresco depicting Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Stephen, and Saint Bernardino of Siena. In the next section appears a Madonna enthroned with Saint Ambrose and Saint Nicholas, a Saint Bernardino framed below, and, above, a fragmentary Annunciation with Saint Roch. In the bay closest to the presbytery, dominated by a late-14th-century Trinity, there are a Madonna with Saint Bernardino on the left and a Saint Anthony Abbot on the right, while above is a partial Crucifixion with Saints.
Stylistic and chromatic features allow this cycle of frescoes to be attributed to the Seregnesi, a family of artists originally from Brianza who, from the 13th century, worked in Lugano and the Canton of Ticino—particularly Cristoforo and his nephew Nicolao, active in the 15th century. Comparison with the fresco of the Madonna with the Disciples, dated 1452 and still visible on the façade of the former parish house in the village center, and with the Crucifixion preserved in the parish church, makes it possible to date and attribute the works to Cristoforo.
The original decorative scheme is completed, on the opposite wall—the only surviving part of the destroyed apse—by vegetal motifs and saintly heads, where the signature of Lanfranco of Lecco appears, a painter active in Milan Cathedral in 1419.
In 1651 the church was first dedicated to Saint Anne, probably after the placement of an altarpiece depicting the Birth of the Virgin. The painting follows a similar work by Morazzone created in Como in 1612 and spread locally through several copies, one of which is preserved in the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Fiume in Mandello.
An inscription on the counter-façade bears the date 1768, marking the completion of the floral decorations of the presbytery—with its painted dome effect—the nave walls, and the vault. At the center of the latter is an Coronation of the Virgin, while the lunettes contain the four Evangelists. The different stylistic elements suggest at least two workshops and indicate, especially in the presbytery decorations, close connections with the church of Saint Zenone in Mandello.
The Cemetery
Next to the church lies the old cemetery. Inside a glass case stands a large marble Pietà by Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, inspired, according to the artist himself, by Michelangelo’s Bandini Pietà. On the west wall is a memorial stone for Carlo Torri Tarelli, a native of Onno, who took part in the wars of Italian unification. He first fought in the “Five Days of Milan” in 1848, later joined Garibaldi in the Second War of Independence and the Expedition of the Thousand, distinguishing himself for bravery and loyalty. He also fought in the Third War of Independence alongside Menotti, the son of the general. The inscription reads:
“A prayer for Torri Tarelli Carlo — Garibaldian Major — who died in the comfort of faith on December 13, 1887.”
The small church stands on the edge of the village. Its façade is simple, with a gabled roof and a stone portal flanked by two small grated windows. Above them opens a large central window. Originally, the building was dedicated to Saint Fedele, which suggests it was founded after 964, the year his body was discovered and later transferred to Como.
The first documented mention dates back to the sixteenth century. At that time, the church was small, with the apse facing the lake. It had neither a bell tower nor a sacristy. In front of it stood a convent for women, later moved to the Valsassina valley. The house next to the church, now heavily modified, is all that remains of it.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, following repeated lake floods, the church was reoriented. The old apse was demolished and replaced by the current façade. In those same years, the roof and vault were rebuilt. The new internal arches, added along the walls, covered the older frescoes, which have become visible again only after recent restorations.
Along the right wall, frescoes from different periods and with various subjects can be seen, framed by the arches. The most notable scenes depict Saint Anthony the Abbot, Saint Stephen, and Saint Bernardino of Siena. In the next panel, there is a Madonna enthroned between Saint Ambrose and Saint Nicholas. Certain stylistic and chromatic features have led to the attribution of this fresco cycle to the Seregnesi, a family of artists originally from Brianza who had already moved to Canton Ticino by the thirteenth century. The similarities with a fresco painted on the exterior wall of a house in the village center, dated 1452, help to date these works.
On the opposite wall, floral decorations and saintly faces remain—the only surviving traces of the ancient apse.
In 1651, the dedication to Saint Anne appears for the first time, likely due to the installation of the altarpiece depicting the Birth of the Virgin.
During the following century, the decorative works of the presbytery and vault were completed with floral motifs. At the center of the vault is the Coronation of the Virgin, while in the lunettes are the Four Evangelists. The stylistic differences suggest the involvement of several artists.
Next to the church lies the old cemetery. Inside a glass case is a marble sculpture of a Pietà by the Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry. On the back wall, a plaque commemorates Carlo Torri Tarelli, born in Onno and active in the struggles for Italian independence.
