the history of la chiesa di santo stefano

It is believed that there has been a property at the current location of La Chiesa di Santo Stefano since Roman times, based on the prominent position of the house, and the ‘importance’ of the house locally. 

Its proximity to the original site of the town of Treia, which was 2 kilometres outside the walls of the current town and just 3 kilometres from Santo Stefano, is another indicator.

 

This is further supported by the fact that parts of a Roman column were found during the renovation of the property. When the renovation was taking place, very old nails were found, ogether with evidence of building techniques known to have been used during this period.

During the 15th and possibly the 14th century the house was a small monastery for just four monks, who worked the land and prayed in the chapel.

 

An ancient legend tells of the oldest monk singing each night to ward off the devil. As he lay dying he told the other monks that he would always sing at Santo Stefano to protect the house from evil.

The front aspect of the chapel was rebuilt in 1872. This was reconstructed of brick, rather than stone, as this was felt to reflect a more important building.