The church of San Giuseppe the Lavoratore

The church of San Giuseppe Lavoratore was built in the district of the same name in Controguerra between 1958 and 1959, the dates, respectively, of the laying of the first stone and the inaugural mass. The church was wanted and built by Pietro and Italia Rasicci, to commemorate their son Giuseppe, who died in a car accident in 1955. It was precisely for the construction of this church that the Municipality of Controguerra decided to change the name of the district to San Giuseppe, while previously it was called Cirafella.

The building is modern but rustic, in stone and brick, with some plastered walls and others left with exposed brick. The project is due to Ing. Giuseppe Coccolini of Bologna. On the facade there is the bell tower, an ideal continuation of the facade itself, with a bell, and a depiction of St. Joseph in stone. The representation just mentioned and other works of which I will tell are the work of prof. Giorgio Gallingani of Bologna.

Inside, the building has a single nave, with a rectangular plan. The roof has exposed tiles and the walls are in travertine. On both sides of the nave there are six stained glass windows; the three on the right represent the stories of the patriarch Joseph, while the three on the left represent the stories of St. Joseph, husband of Mary. On the main entrance door there is a seventh window, depicting the symbols of the Passion. All the stained glass windows were made by prof. Giorgio Gallingani. The artist also created the valuable altarpiece. It is a work of modern inspiration that depicts St. Joseph the Worker, in the guise of a craftsman.

Only a few masses are celebrated in the church during the year, in particular on 1 May, the day of San Giuseppe Lavoratore.

On the occasion of 1 May 1960, an important cycling event was organized in the district which saw the participation of the national technical Commissioner Elio Rimedio, who attended the event «in an official capacity», as the posters of the time recall, to choose the cyclists who would have participated in the Rome Olympics that year. The competition was won by a very young Vito Taccone.

The church is owned by the Rasicci family, who manage a farm and a farmhouse in the immediate vicinity, but it is open to the public.