Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle

The Oratorio di Santa Maria, or Oratory of Santa Maria, previously called the Tempietto longobardo, is located in Valle on the north-eastern frontier at Cividale del Friuli in the province of Udine. It was erected in the 8th century under the rule of a Germanic people called the Lombards who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. This is the most important and best preserved example of Lombard architecture, which resembles styles found in Ottonian, Roman, Lombardy and Carolingian art. Included within the temple and chapel are decorated frescoes and high relief sculptures of saints in stucco.