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Visit the Church of Santa Maria del Tiglio in Gravedona, Lake Como.
From the architectural point of view it is without any doubt the most peculiar building of the Larian Region.
The church raises on the Sacred Area of Gravedona, together with the close-by Parish Church of Saint Vincent characterized by a remarkable Romanesque crypt.
Probably this was a worship place starting from the Roman era (inside the two churches there are some important findings of that antique era), and likely the church was built over a pagan temple. In the year 823 A.C., this Church was quoted into the Fulda Annals (an antique Abbey in western Germany) as a Baptistery dedicated to Saint John, because of a fresco depicting the Magi’s adoration, which was painted on the apse and had nearly vanished because of its antiquity, for two whole days it suddenly shone with such a light to exceed in splendour a new painting.
This event, hit the historian to the extent that some of them stated that the Miracle happened before the eyes of Emperor Ludwig the Pious, who at that time was passing by the Larian Region, that the Emperor got scared and ordered worship it with prayers and donations.
This event is not important whether it happened or not, but it is important because it was believed and divulged in beyond the Alps also reaching the France Royal Court. The Miracle of Gravedona was described for the first time in the Annals of Fulda and then if was transcribed into the Bertinian Annals and in the Chronicles of Monk Aimoino.
As a matter of facts, the Monastery of Fulda owned a Olive Grove at Gravedona, which explain how and why the Magi’s Miracle was written into the Fulda Annals. Besides Fulda, other monasteries, had properties at Gravedona like the monastery of Reichenau, which was set on a little island of Lake Constance, which for culture and history was no less important than the Fulda’s one.
The nowadays church goes back to the 12th century and it was built over the previous and more ancient Baptistery of Saint John, which was built over a previous Pagan Temple. The title of the church comes from a lime tree that grew on top of the bell-tower toward the end the works of building the church. In its whole, the church is a peculiar example of Romanesque style to build which were utilized the white Marble of Musso and the Black stone of Olcio.
Following the traditional plan of the Baptisteries, it is of a central hall with three semicircular apses, while the front wall is characterized by the peculiar bell-tower which is Unique within the Lombard architecture, and it was probably derived from the Renan and Burgundy styles. Anyway, the bell tower is octagonal with a square base, and it was probably built in a later era.
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The frontal doorway is slightly splayed; a second doorway is set on the right side. Along the whole base of the roof, as well as above the first mono lancet window of the bell tower, runs a decoration at hanging arches, which are typical of the Romanesque style.
Beside and above the mono lancet window there are some marble sculptures that belonged to the previous buildings. As a matter of facts, it is possible to see the sculpture of a small human head inlaid into the mono lancet window keystone, which probably belonged to a burial stele of late roman era; and beside the widow there are some medieval marble bas-reliefs representing a centaur, a serpent and a Gordian knot. At the back of the church there is another sculptured marble plate and a high-relief called Queen Theodolinda’s breast, which recall the pagan theme of fertility.
The interior consist in: a large circular room characterized by side apses; the presbytery where there are three niches; and an upper loggia that runs above the apses. At the north-east corner there is a fragment of mosaic floor: with geometric patterns formed by white, black and red tiles, typical of the Roman period the 5th century.
Once, the walls had to be fully frescoed, of which still remain few pieces today. In the presbytery you can see some pieces of the fresco depicting scenes of St. John the Baptist, dating back to the fifteenth century, together with some other Saints, including Saint Stephen and St. Gotthard, the last being the patron of the alpine passes. A
bove the right central niche there is what remains of the fresco of the Adoration of the Magi, which was painted to substitute the vanished miraculous fresco reported in the Annals of Fulda.
On of the southern central apse there are the remains of a devotional fresco depicting a Virgin in Throne with Child and Saints, while on the opposite wall you can see the Last Judgment, which is the oldest fresco of the church, as it dates back to the mid 14th century.
It depicts Christ the Redeemer inside an almond, surrounded by a train of blessed and damned souls; in its background is depicted the imaginary landscape of heavenly Jerusalem, in which you can see some bell-towers very similar to that of Santa Maria del Tiglio and the one of the nearby Abbey of Piona as it was before its restoration in the eighteenth century.
The northern apse id decorated with some remains of devotional frescoes of the second half of the 14th century, which depict Saint Anna, Santa Susanna, San John the Baptist, and the presence of Saint Lucio, Gottardo and Christopher painted on the front altar near the entrance, reminds the importance Gravedona had as cross way for the traffic of goods and merchandise coming from or directed to the Beyond the Alps Countries.
Probably, Gravedona and Santa Maria del Tiglio were a resting place for the merchants who were about to face the harsh climbing toward the Alpine Passes. On the northern wall hang a wooden crucifix of the 12th century. It is considered a Romanesque masterpiece although it reminds the north-european sculpture art.
