HISTORY
The parish church of Santo Stefano in Tegurio is found near Godo, a few kilometers from Ravenna. Santo Stefano is among the churches commissioned by the empress Galla Placidia, who lived in Ravenna from 425-450.
The church in Godo was mentioned for the first time in an act of donation to the diocese of Ravenna in 963. The church underwent various modifications, and in 1700, it was completely reconceived in Baroque forms. The apse was demolished to enlarge the choir, the resulting church nine meters longer than the older one. New restorations were carried out in 1823 and the façade was also reconstructed according to Baroque taste. This structure remained unchanged until 1944, when German mines caused the collapse of the campanile, and the apse and choir were both destroyed. Four years later, the church was rebuilt according to its original forms.
ART-HISTORICAL NOTES
The reconstruction of 1948 faithfully repeated the original structure of the church, with the exception of the campanile, which was constructed anew. The sides are articulated with pilaster strips and six windows. The sloping façade is broken up by four pilaster strips that indicate the interior division into three aisles.
Although heavily rebuilt, Santo Stefano is a classic example of proto-Romanesque architecture, visible in the use of Lombard bands, the three aisles and the use of brick.