When the church door opens, it's like a miracle': the phone app that's a key to Italy's religious art

"The Santa Maria di Missione chapel in Villafranca Piemonte, northern Italy, stands at the end of a long cornfield. Behind it, the mountains rise gently, their outlines caressed by the sun. The colours of autumn frame the 15th-century frescoes that embellish the structure's interior, painted by Italian artist Aimone Duce, of the Lombard school. The chapel is the municipality's oldest religious building, serving about 4,000 inhabitants, and stands on the site of a pre-existing building dating back to 1037."

"Inside the small chapel, my footsteps echo softly against the walls, breaking the stillness of the surrounding countryside. The sharp scent of plaster mingles with the earthy smell of the fields outside, carried in on the wind along with the sweetness of wheat. Light filters through the narrow windows, catching the vivid hues of a fresco that depicts the seven deadly sins a theme often revisited in medieval iconography."

"Santa Maria di Missione is part of an open culture circuit, the Cultura a Porte Aperte, a system created by the Council for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, and the Fondazione CRT. The goal is to make sacred art accessible through a free app. Once it is downloaded, visitors can book and visit the various churches registered in the system via smartphone, opening the door with a simple QR code near the main entrance."

Santa Maria di Missione sits at the end of a long cornfield in Villafranca Piemonte, with mountains and autumn colours framing its 15th-century frescoes by Aimone Duce of the Lombard school. The chapel is the municipality's oldest religious building, on a site used since 1037, serving about 4,000 inhabitants. Interior frescoes portray the seven deadly sins, the Deposition and the Annunciation, reflecting human vice and moral struggle and exemplifying Italian international Gothic style. The chapel joins the Cultura a Porte Aperte circuit, enabling free smartphone booking and QR-code entry to over 70 churches.

Read at www.theguardian.com