San Pancrazio, Religious heritage site in Montichiari, Italy.

San Pancrazio is a Romanesque church on the hill of the same name in Montichiari, built between 1150 and 1190. Its facade of squared white limestone from Mazzano and Virle has a bifora window, a round-arched portal and a Greek-cross window in the tympanum. Inside, three naves are divided by two rows of eight round arches on columns with paleochristian capitals; the floor is pink Verona stone.

A Roman building stood on the hill before the church was built in the 6th century AD. The present Romanesque structure was rebuilt between 1150 and 1190, when Montichiari's commune was founded in 1167. Frescoes painted between the 14th and 16th centuries were partly lost when the church was used as a store during World War II; restorations followed in the second half of the 20th century.

The church is named after Saint Pancras, shown on horseback under the triumphal arch in the oldest of its many frescoes. In the south nave, a 1543 panel depicts him with a banner against a cloudy sky, and a later fresco groups him with the five healing saints. The north nave holds a 1388 Madonna nursing the Child and a Saint Pancras in period dress with embroidered doublet, hose, spurs and small sword.

You can enter the church through the main entrance and have daytime access to public areas. During religious celebrations, hours may change, so a quick check before visiting is helpful.

The bell tower, which replaced the original Romanesque one that stood to the north-east, holds three bells tuned to F-sharp 3, electrified with the slancio system rather than the Ambrosian system usual in the area. Near ground level on the facade, a Roman stone block shows an ivy vase flanked by two dolphin tails.