Parish church of St. John the Batipts

The centre of the village of Alagna is dominated by the parish church of St. John the Baptist, which features a high bell tower with a typical pointed spire. Built between 1505 and 1511, it was remodelled and enlarged to its current appearance in the Baroque period. The Valsesian coat of arms can be seen on the apse wall, the eagle on two rocky hillocks with the river in the middle, along with the words “Im Land”, meaning Alagna in the Walser language.

The façade has frescoes painted by the Avondo brothers in 1862 depicting scenes of the birth and beheading of the saint. The Annunciation is, instead, depicted above the main door. The interior with three aisles divided by grey stone columns features valuable works of art, such as the carved, gilded and painted wooden pyramid altar by Guala-Molino from Mollia (1690). It consists of several tiers depicting episodes from the life of St. John the Baptist. The chapels contain a 15th century small wooden altarpiece, the work of an unknown artist from the Swabian area. It resembles a portable cupboard, whose doors are painted with figures of saints (St. Francis, St. Nicholas, St. Hubert, St. Pantaleone, St. Sebastian, St. George and St. Lawrence can be recognised). On the inside there are carved statuettes of the Virgin Mary with St. James and St. Sebastian. Finally, in the chapel dedicated to Saints Sebastian and Rochus, there is a sculptural group by Giovanni D’Enrico, which dates back to the late 16th century, portraying the crowned Virgin with the Infant Jesus in her arms and Saints Sebastian and Rochus. The left altar is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, and presents the Blessed Virgin surrounded by fifteen panels painted with the Mysteries of the Rosary.