Palagnedra / Palegnedrio / Pallagnidrio

Gilardoni (1967) writes of the basin of a Gothic baptismal font believed to be originally from this church; it had been foud wall-built in the 16th-century oratory of the Sirti, below Palagnedra, and had been sold as part of a lot of assorted sculptures of different provenance by a priest from the diocesan commission [="ne trattava la vendita, con un lotto di altre sculture di varia provenienza, un sacerdote della Commissione Diocesana di Arte Sacra]. It was acquired by the town of Bellinzona for its cantonal museum. Marcionetti (1969) describes and illustrates a stone basin from the Chiesa di San Michele in Palagnedra, sold "per pochi soldi" to the town of Bellinzona; this font, adds Marcionetti [ibid.) would have belonged to the original church here, documented since 1237, and it may be the one referred to in two different episcopal visits to this church; bishop Archinti wrote of his 1597 visit to this church, and reports a stone font with a partition ["vas lapideum cum intermedio"] in the baptistery of the church; the later visit by bishop Bonesana on 3 June 1709, however, reports a "baptisterium antiquae formae" here, which Marcionetti (ibid.) understands to mean a non-partitioned font ["cioè con vasca non divisa"]. [NB: the contradicition above regarding the partitioned and non-partioned font could indicate two possibilities: either the old font was partitioned in the 16th century, a common change made to ancient fonts at that time, or the old font had been temporarily replaced by a later one, only to be re-instated by the time of the 1709 visit -- according to BSI findings, partitioned fonts are not thus far recorded before the 16th century]. The somewhat irregular round basin is decorated with a moulding around the upper rim; below it is a series of motifs and symbols identified in Marcionetti (ibid.) as a number of schematic representation of the human figure, sun, flower and bread, alternating with a geometric shape topped with a cross. The Centovally web site [http://centovalli.bizland.com/sam/id25.html] [accessed 15 May 2015] informs that the font was moved to the cantonal museum, and is now exhibited at the Castello di Montebello, in Bellinzona [="vasca battesimale, passata al Museo cantonale ed esposta al castello di Montebello a Bellinzona"]. The web site of the Museo civico Castello di Montebello [www.ticino.ch/pictures/infoturistica/verybig4/2760_A.jpg] [accessed 15 May 2015] shows the old basin in a group of "pietre del Quattrocento (capitelli, fonte battesimale di Palagnedra)" displayed in one of the rooms of the former castle.