The Church of Santa Maria ai Prati - better known as the “Ciesazza” - is a small jewel nestled in the countryside south of Padua, between the Euganean Hills and the Adige River. It is located in the municipality of Ponso, along what used to be an ancient “bank” that in the Middle Ages allowed connections with Casale and Vighizzolo, and bordered for some stretches the large swamp known as the “Lake of Vighizzolo.”
It is one of the very few testimonies of Romanesque architecture still present in the territory of Lower Padua.
The body of the small church tells us its story: on the lower part of the façade, in fact, there are blocks of stone, marble, and brick material from the Roman era, and on the other walls, the numerous renovations that occurred over the centuries are visible. The “Ciesazza” indeed went through various vicissitudes: a devastating flood in the 16th century followed by a wonderful rebirth during the 18th century.
The interior, simple and with a single nave, houses three altars and a series of beautiful frescoes dating back probably to the first half of the 15th century, among which we remember: two portraits of the “Madonna with Child,” “The Annunciation,” and a “Saint John.”
The nickname “Ciesazza,” with which it is affectionately called, is not derogatory but indicates its ancient origins.
