Vigolo Marchese is the most important fraction of Castell’Arquato, it has a Romanesque basilica surmounted by a military tower converted into a bell tower, dating back to 1008, commissioned by the Marquis Umberto d’Orta, and a circular baptistery, dating back to the period before the church, similar to Byzantine buildings.
The complex of the Church and the Baptistery of San Giovanni are of clear Romanesque ancestry.
The circular baptistery is certainly older than the church. It was probably built as a pagan temple in Roman times, then became a chapel dedicated to Santo Stefano and finally a baptistery.
The church is made of stone and brick, inside it has a basilica plan with three naves. The interior is plastered and has lost its essentiality and original prerogatives.
The semicircular apse raised from the level of the church recalls the scheme of the Collegiate Church of Castell’Arquato also for how it approaches the square bell tower, divided into three levels.
