In the church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the Christian life of Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, began. It was here that he received the baptismal rites, celebrated his first Mass, and later returned as bishop and cardinal; for this reason, the church has been a pilgrimage destination for many years. The religious building preserves works of significant artistic value, among which the wooden tabernacle of the high altar (1696) by Andrea Brustolon stands out. Brustolon, a sculptor from the Belluno area, was a leading figure of Venetian Baroque art and is also known as the “Michelangelo of wood.” Works by Amedeo Da Pos (Carfon di Canale d’Agordo, 1870–1966), one of the finest pupils of Valentino Panciera Besarel, include the statue of St. Anthony of Padua and the wooden pyramid covering the baptismal font. More recent works include the altar depicting scenes from the life of Albino Luciani, sculpted by Dante Moro in 1978 on the occasion of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Canale d’Agordo, and the statue of Pope Luciani by sculptor Riccardo Cenedese (1982). On the choir loft stands the precious organ built in 1801 by Gaetano Callido, an important eighteenth-century organ builder. Finally, on the exterior façade there is a terracotta medallion depicting the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, created by Valentino Panciera Besarel, clearly influenced by his teacher Giovanni De Min.

With the arrival in Canale d’Agordo of the new archpriest, Father Filippo Carli, in 1919, the heads of households of Vallada Agordina took on the task of building a new parish church in the hamlet of Sachet. Given the municipality’s inability to cover the costs, the heads of households proposed that all families contribute capital to establish a parish benefice, in order to ensure the permanent presence of a parish priest in the village. The first steps toward the construction of the church date back to 1921, when the Vallada church administrator wrote to the General Office for Vacant Benefices in Venice to request financial support for the considerable construction expenses. In 1926, the sculptor Ferdinand Stuflesser of Ortisei was commissioned to create the statue of the Sacred Heart, now placed on the high altar. The following year, new stained-glass windows were commissioned from Giuseppe Parisi of Trento, bearing the names of the donors. The building was completed in the summer of 1929 and consecrated by Bishop Giosuè Cattarossi. The interior was decorated by Serafino Bortoli of Caviola, while the designs of the Eucharistic symbols in the apse were created by the sculptor Amedeo Da Pos from Carfon. In 1998, the parish priest of Vallada, Father Angelo Crepaz, decided to initiate restoration works.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin of Health in Caviola was built between 1713 and 1715 at the request of the regolieri of Caviola and Sappade. As can be seen in the photo, it stands in a commanding position within a landscape of lush beauty. The original structure of the bell tower does not correspond to the present one: in 1834, due to its poor condition, it was decided to demolish it and rebuild it in a more slender form so that it would be clearly visible from afar. Later, in 1929, the church was extended by eight meters in order to enlarge the nave and accommodate the growing population.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate was founded on January 20, 1866, as the faithful wished to build a new, larger church that could more comfortably accommodate the village population, which was growing year after year. From the early 1980s onward, the church underwent various renovation works. Between 1982 and 1983, the roof was completely rebuilt using copper roofing, and the exterior of the building was repainted. Finally, thanks to donations from parish priests, parishioners, and tourists, a new mechanical-action pipe organ with two manuals was purchased.

The church dedicated to Saint Pius X was inaugurated in 1958. This church, of notable artistic value, houses a large sculpture of Christ by Dante Moro. The work is impressive in scale and visual impact, as it dominates the entire apse area.

The Church of San Rocco, located in Vallada Agordina in the characteristic hamlet of Celat, was built in 1565 as a vow to bring an end to the plague epidemic that had struck the village. The small church is characterized by very simple architecture and features, inside, a series of prestigious frescoes painted by Lorenzo Paulitti, a high altar, and two small side altars. Consecrated by Bishop Giovanni Battista Valier on June 9, 1576, it underwent renovation works between 1685 and 1688, which made an expansion possible.

The Church of San Sebastiano was consecrated between 1471 and 1478 by the Bishop of Belluno, Pietro Barozzi. It is particularly dedicated to Saint Sebastian and Saint Fabian. Between 1471 and 1488, the building was completed and refined. Around 1852, prompted by strong interest from the local inhabitants, the church underwent a radical restoration. On the altar there was a fine gilded Flügelaltar from a German workshop, which attracted the attention of the faithful. In 1641, the winged altarpiece was replaced by a beautifully carved reredos with a painted altarpiece, which in turn was replaced between 1769 and 1771 by the current one created by Valentino Rovisi.

The Church of Saint Anthony Abbot in Cencenighe Agordino stands at the foot of Col de Pase, where the first sacred building dedicated to the saint was erected in the 13th century. Over the centuries, the church—originally built in Gothic style and of modest size, including a sacristy and a bell tower—underwent various reconstructions and restorations. The need to create a larger space to accommodate the faithful of Cencenighe led to the decision to build a new church on the remains of the ancient temple, the completion of which dates back to the first half of the 18th century.

The Church of San Simon in Vallada Agordina, just 2 km from Canale d’Agordo, deserves to be mentioned among the museums of the area, as it was declared a national monument in 1877 and is documented as early as 1185. Famous for its interior walls frescoed by Paris Bordone, a pupil of Titian, it also boasts a fine example of a typical Tyrolean Flügelaltar and an organ by Gaetano Callido, commissioned after the construction of the organ for the Church of the Pieve of Canale d’Agordo. It should also be recalled that in Vallada Agordina, in the 1350s, the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin of the Battuti was founded— a lay association devoted to aiding the poor and, in part, to maintaining the Church of San Simon.
Visits to the monumental Church of San Simon are possible by contacting +39 324 5906493 or by writing to sansimonvalladaagordina@gmail.com.