ITAMore information :
The Parish Church of Saints Hippolytus and Cassian in Retina, now the Capuchin Church, is located in Pieve a Retina, Castiglion Fiorentino.
In the late 1970s, this church was closed for restoration, as structures from four different historical periods, from Roman times to the 16th century, had been identified in the area. Remains of a Roman bathhouse were uncovered, over which an early medieval parish church was built, later becoming a Romanesque church, and finally a Renaissance building.
The Romanesque parish church has a basilica-style layout, with three naves originally divided by pillars (the current columns are Renaissance) and ending in three semicircular apses. The interior is roofed with trusses in the central nave, while the side aisles feature cross vaults built in the 16th century. Externally, the façade still retains its Romanesque profile and is preceded by a portico.
Archaeological investigations have also revealed two bell furnaces, the older dating to the first construction of the Romanesque parish church, and the more recent to its subsequent renovation. The casting of bells inside the church is a recurring phenomenon and is linked to both practical and sacred considerations.
