Spassegio cultural tras vischnanca - Savognin

Nr. 11: The church Son Martegn
La Gloria del Paradiso (1677)
The church Son Martegn
The present-day church was consecrated in 1677. On a
surface of about 100m2 the master Carlo Nuvolone from
Milano painted «La Gloria des Paradiso» with 485 creatures.
This artwork is considered to be the most significant baroque
ceiling painting in Grisons. Archaeological excavations prove
that a church was standing in the same place as early as in the
7th/8th century. St. Martin was the first church in Savognin,
followed by St. Michael built in the 8th/9th century. The appeal
of the present-day church lies in its size and its simplicity.
Note worthy is the altar from 1738, a work of craftsman Gion
Tin from Tiefencastel, who created also the pulpit. Worth
seeing is also the cemetery with many wrought-iron crosses.
There are two bells hanging in the tower, the smaller dating
from 1478 and the latin inscription «O rex glorie-veni cum
pace» (Oh Lord of glory, come with peace). Enjoy the view of
the beautiful mountainside in front of the church.
«Sur Tocf» or «Son Martegn» is one of the oldest parts of the
village. Bonifazi Plaz, who grew up in Sur Tocf, mentions in
his script «Savognin, my home town» that there were 40 men
fit for military service living there correlating to a total of about
200 inhabitants. The priest is also said to have lived in Son
Martegn until 1606 or maybe even until 1640. Even today
you can see some buildings from the 16th century. They have
been lovingly restored and some of them are nowadays even
inhabited all-year round.
The tuffstone, romansh «crap da tocf», at the entrance of
the settlement on which there is a crucifix of Toni Dominik
Schwab, gave the name to that part of the village.
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