Church of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, Romanesque church near Montechiaro d'Asti, Italy

The Church of Saints Nazarius and Celsus stands on the slope of the Bric San Nazario, about two kilometres from Montechiaro d'Asti, surrounded by trees except at the facade. Its walls alternate bands of sandstone and brick, and the facade is crowned by hanging arches: simple at the sides, double-interlaced in the centre. The slightly projecting portal has a double ring, the inner carved with a cornucopia motif, the outer with a two-colour wolf-tooth pattern.

This structure was built around 1130 at the location of the former Mairano settlement. A complete rebuilding took place in 1847 using a systematic method of numbered materials to guide reassembly.

The church is dedicated to Saints Nazarius and Celsus, early Christian martyrs venerated in northern Italy. Its setting on the Bric San Nazario preserves the name of the medieval Mairano settlement that stood here before the 13th century. Inside, a fragment of a 15th-century fresco showing Saint Catherine of Alexandria came to light during recent restoration work.

The church stands about two kilometres from Montechiaro d'Asti, on the slopes of the green Bric San Nazario, surrounded by trees on every side except the facade. The building is reached from the town by road; the facade faces out, while the wooded ground closes in on the flanks and apse.

During the 1847 reconstruction, every stone and brick was individually numbered before being returned to its original position in the wall. This careful cataloguing method ensured that the building could be reassembled while preserving its authentic original form.