A miniature church nestled in an ancient medieval village
Along the road that branches off from the Aurelia to reach Manziana, the medieval village of Sasso appears. It is an ancient hamlet, about 12 km from Cerveteri. The town of Etruscan origin, has remains of Roman structures, reused in medieval buildings. Access to the village is very suggestive, thanks to the well-preserved crenellated gate. The fortified palace, built by the Marchesi Patrizi in 1552 and the Church of Santa Croce overlook the square.
The church of Santa Croce is the main ecclesiastical complex of the Sasso village. It belongs to the Patrizi palace complex and was originally conceived as a palace chapel. The church was probably originally dedicated to San Filippo Neri. In 1642 the chapel of the Madonna and the side altars were added.
The structure is very simple and linear. The interior consists of a single nave flanked by two chapels. On the central altar there is a fresco with saints in veneration in whose center there is a niche with the reliquary of the Holy Cross.
In the church there are also two paintings by an unknown artist depicting Santa Severa and Sant'Anzino.
The peculiarity of the church and of the village in general is its extremely small size that gives it the appearance of a miniature village. The rocky conformation has in fact delimited the settlement. Despite its small size, the village was highly sought after by the main Roman noble families from the 12th century to the 17th century.
