The Oratory of Santa Rantua is located in the Grompa area, in the territory of Villa Estense (PD), and represents the last surviving element of the ancient complex of Villa Grompo, known as “Il Paradiso”. Its origins are very ancient: a now-lost tablet recalled the construction of the first nucleus in 1364 by Ubertino Grompo and his son Rolando, in devotion to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Rantua.
Over the centuries, the oratory suffered destruction, particularly due to the flooding of the Fossa Lovara, and was already in ruins by the 15th century. In the 16th century, the Grompo family maintained its worship, temporarily transferring the devotion to other sacred places. Reconstruction took place in the early years of the 17th century, when the oratory was again officiated, as evidenced by the pastoral visits of 1645.
Remaining for a long time under the patronage of the Grompo family, the complex was then transferred to the Giovanelli family in 1810 and subsequently to other private owners. After a period of continuous religious use until 1976, the church was closed for structural reasons. In 1989, the building was donated to the Municipality of Villa Estense and subsequently restored.
Today, the oratory presents itself with a classical facade marked by Tuscan pilasters and crowned by a triangular pediment. Inside, the single hall preserves a 17th-century altar made of polychrome stone and traces of an important decorative apparatus, including a painting from the Venetian school depicting the Madonna with Child and the saints.
Next to it rises the bell tower, which houses three historic bells of different eras and origins. Once part of a larger complex, the oratory today represents a valuable testimony of the religious and artistic history of the territory of Villa Estense.
