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Origin and history

The Saint Martin de Patrimonio church, built at the end of the seventeenth century, embodies Corsican Baroque architecture. Its extensible plan, with a unique nave vaulted in cradle and five side chapels, reflects the varying resources of the local community. The walls and vaults, coated and painted, incorporate Corinthian pilasters, typical of the aesthetics of the time. Classified as a historical monument in 1939, it houses remarkable works, including a painting by Giuseppe Badarocco (1st half of the 17th century) depicting the Virgin with the Child between Saint John the Baptist and Saint Laurent, as well as a painting by Lanfranco (Italian school, 17th century) illustrating The Apostles around the sarcophagus of the Virgin, classified in 2007.

Patrimonio, the capital of the ancient eponymous piève in Nebbio, was a strategic issue in the Middle Ages. The village, dominated by the lords Cortinchi and then the Genoese, housed a castello destroyed during the anti-seigneurial revolts of the fourteenth century. The region, renowned for its wines since Greek antiquity, became in the seventeenth century a major religious and wine-growing centre under the authority of the bishops of Nebbio. The Saint-Martin church, built in this context, symbolizes both the local faith and the Italian artistic influence, then predominant in Corsica.

In the 18th century, Patrimonio was a home of resistance during the Corsican revolt against Genoa, then a paolist bastion during the French conquest. The commune, integrated into the Golo department in 1793, retained its central role in the religious and cultural life of Nebbio. Today, Saint Martin's church, with its frescoes and baroque furniture, remains an exceptional testimony of Corsican sacred heritage, inseparable from the turbulent history of the region.

The site also houses medieval remains, such as the ruins of Genoese castello, and a statue-menhir (U Nativu), discovered in 1964 in Barbaggio. These elements highlight the historical continuity of Patrimonio, from prehistoric times to modern times. The building, a communal property, continues to play an active role in local life, especially at the patronal festival on November 11, dedicated to Saint Martin.

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