The church in Seppiana (Verbania) was built at the beginning of the year 1000, on the foundations of an ancient oratory. The Romanesque church became the main church of the valley in the 13th century, being built on the main road between the mountains and the plain. The beautiful Romanesque bell tower is a testimony to this period, as the base is medieval. The architecture of the bell tower was radically changed in 1858, when the five storeys of windows were walled up. In 1864, the tower was equipped with a new prestigious concert of six bells, of which four original bells remain.
e' flat - f' - g' - a' flat - b' flat - c''
The concert is sung in E flat major. After the brief introduction with the bells playing Christmas carols, the traditional concert is played, which consists of bringing the bells up and then bringing them down one at a time at regular intervals, forming different musical scales.
The Romanesque church of Saint Ambrose became an autonomous parish in the 13th century, after having detached itself from Villadossola (Italy), whose church was built at the same time. The parish of Seppiana generated all the other churches in the valley, all the way to the summit of the snow-capped mountains. The old Romanesque building was radically transformed at the behest of the bishop in 1596. The church went from Romanesque to very rich Baroque, with works by the best local artists. The interior decorations were completed in 1925 with new frescoes, in line with the 17th century style. The parish of Seppiana is known throughout the region for the living nativity scene at Epiphany, where the character Gelindo takes part, telling anecdotes of the village and the story of the birth of Jesus in the local dialect.
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