Following the main road that goes to Monesiglio, after passing Camerana, it is possible to make a short detour towards Lignera, a hamlet of the ancient village of Saliceto, on the right bank of the Bormida river.
Here you can see the small church dedicated to St Martin. During the spring and summer the interesting architecture is beautifully set off by the surrounding vegetation.
Romanesque lines are still visible in the shape of the bell tower, the only significant element left from the original church (12th century). It has a square plan and is entirely in natural stone. It was built following Romanesque-Lombard models, characterized by three orders, one with single-lancet windows and two with double-lancet windows.
The building has a gabled façade divided into three sections. The obvious modifications date from the 17th century. In the central part, you can see a crescent-shaped window. The two side parts correspond to the two chapels on the sides of the entrance.
Further 17th-century changes can be seen inside; the building was extended and the volumes modified: the presbytery is now defined by an ogival arch and covered by a cross vault.
The current nave was built after the presbytery; this modification is clear from the fact that the external side of the ogival arch, facing the congregation, is frescoed. In fact the presbytery still has some paintings in the Gothic style, from the mid-15th-century Mondovì school. Scenes are shown from the life of St Martin and the Annunciation, and Christ Pantocrator, the Evangelists, the Doctors of the Church and the Saints are also depicted.
These frescoes depict an abundance of figures and are characterized by a certain realism.
