The Chiesa (Church) or Collegiata (Collegiate Church) di San Secondo, the oldest in the city of Asti, was built just outside of the Roman town walls where the Longobardian “curtis” was located, in the square where the main shops are and where the market is held. The history of this Gothic building has not been fully documented. The first documentation mentioning it, dates back to the 19th century, while major archeological finds recently brought to light document a crypt as well done in the Romanesque style. The present building dates back to 1256, while the façade done in terracotta is of a later date, built around 1462.
The church, subdivided into three naves with twelve columns that support arches and cross vaults, preserves works of great artistic value by painters from the 16th and 17th centuries. The reliquary preserves the bones of the patron saint – to whom the city residents are particularly devoted, while one of the chapels has the Carroccio (a wagon carrying the flag of a medieval Italian free city), the symbol of the City, which is celebrated as it’s pulled by three pair of white oxen during the Palio di Asti.
