S. Agostino in Rocca d’Elmici Church

The church, of very ancient origins, is still very suggestive today, being one of the rare examples of Romanesque architecture in the Forlì valleys.

The church of S. Augustine is a simple structure in sandstone and spungone dating back to the 12th century. Although there is no certain documentation on the date of its foundation, it is believed that it was built as a private church by a wealthy landowner in the area and was later donated or purchased by the convent of S. Maria in Porto di Ravenna, as shown by the first documents found, dating back to 1177. Over time, it grew in importance to the point that a community of monks gathered around it, who, in view of the economic and strategic importance of the place, gave it the appearance of a monastery, with a bell tower, a cloister and a cemetery, as well as a hospice for travelers and a mill.

The history of the church is closely linked to that of the castle, which belonged to the Calboli family, and around the middle of the 16th century the life of the monastery died out in parallel with that of the fortress.

Today the church has a gabled façade with a small cruciform window at the top and a blind arch over the doorway. There are traces of the porch in front. The masonry is made up of squared blocks of sandstone and spungone (a local stone).

The interior has a single nave covered by trusses with a semicircular apse. There are four single lancet windows on the sides and in the apse.

The interior of the church is decorated with votive frescoes in cycles from different periods; there is also a representation of the Dance of Death, possibly from the 17th century, and another 17th-century fresco in the apse with the Immaculate Conception and Saint Augustine.