The Church of San Bartolomeo in Valnogaredo (Cinto Euganeo) is one of the most important examples of 18th-century religious architecture in the Euganean Hills, connected to the presence of the Venetian Contarini family, historical owners of the area and the nearby Villa Contarini Piva. As early as the 15th century, the family promoted the construction of a place of worship with an attached rectory, which soon became a parish seat. In 1758, the church was rebuilt by heirs Angelo and Giulio Contarini to accommodate the population increase. The right of patronage then passed to subsequent owners until its definitive transfer to the diocese in 1876.
The building, situated on elevated ground, is accessed via a dramatic staircase. The facade, in a rococo style, is adorned with statues attributed to Antonio Bonazza, including Saint Joseph, Saint Bartholomew, and two bas-reliefs featuring the Madonna del Carmine and Saint Anthony. The bell tower, of 16th-century origin, was modified in the 19th century.
The interior features a single nave richly decorated in the rocaille style: stuccoes with floral and shell motifs frame the large ceiling fresco by Jacopo Guarana and the altarpieces of the side altars. The altars in Sicilian jasper house works by Bonazza and paintings by Domenico Fedeli, known as il Maggiotto. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of a relic of Pope Adeodatus, donated by the popes to the Contarini family and preserved under the main altar.
