San Lorenzo archaeological area

Recorded since 1059, San Lorenzo di Quingentole formed part of the parish of Coriano in a feudal area controlled, on behalf of the bishop of Reggio, by Marchese Bonifacio, Matilda’s father.

It was on the road to Pieve, where recent archaeological excavations have uncovered the foundations of two religious buildings: a church with two apses, built in the 7C over what was probably a Roman building, and a second construction dating from the times of Matilda with three apses and reiterating the architectural model of both the church of Santa Maria in San Benedetto Po and the church of Nuvolato. It also served as a parish church, as demonstrated by its size and the presence of a font.

The church was demolished in 1752 and all that survives is a small oratory; it was replaced as a parish church by a church built between 1751 and 1754 for bishop Antonio di Bagno, opposite the episcopal villa, which became the summer residence of the bishops of Mantua in the 15C.