The ancient parish church of Cusio, until 1785 diocese of Milan, dedicated to S, Margherita of Antioch, became autonomous from the mother church of S. Brigida since 1476, aggregating as well the curacy of the church of Ornica. The first church is of ancient date, in local Romanesque style, simple hall with a presbytery raised a few steps and all frescoed, as we are told by the remains of some frescoes in the church and especially embellished in 1517 by the wooden altarpiece, with the six compartments of the polyptych painted by the great painter Andrea Previtali (1470/80-1528) and paid for by the people with as many as 3,000 sacks of coal! In the ancient church twice, in 1566 and 1582, St. Charles Borromeo came on a pastoral visit. In 1748 the church was completely rebuilt to a design by the Lugano master Antonio Beragio and reconsecrated in 1754 by Cardinal Pozzobonelli of Milan, whose coat of arms is frescoed on the facade next to that of St. Charles.
The church was further expanded in 1908 according to the design of architect. Elia Fornoni. Very collected and balanced is the interior space, dominated by the large cross on the chancel, reminiscent of the twinned cross in early Christian churches, the work of artist Elio Bianco, as is the council altar.
The choir is the work of carving and inlay by Angelo Regazzoni from 1782, while the great local artist Antonio Rovelli ( 1640-1710) left us the cathedra, a magnificent kneeler, the women's confessional at the back of the church and the cupboards in the sacristy, precise and remarkable works of carving and inlay. Among the paintings, in addition to the aforementioned polyptych by Previtali, very beautiful are the canvases by the Venetian Pietro Damini (1592-1631) the Christ Placated by the Virgin, on the chancel and the canvas with the figures of St. Anthony and St. Joseph, as well as the painting of the Virgin in sweet expectation by Gian Battista Guerinoni. Among the hangings is preserved a cope with continence, made of silk and gold thread embroidery, a Chinese work from the 1500s.
Can be visited before and after masses (which are generally officiated on weekends in the summer period and on major holidays).
