Santa Maria of Vezzolano
The act of foundation of the church dates back to 27th February 1095. This is a document from which we learn that some gentlemen, Teodulo and Egidio, took the role of officiales of the church of Vezzolano, as long as they follow some shared precepts and live according to the canonical rule, probably the same rule of S. Augustine, testified later in Vezzolano (Papal Bulls of 1176, 1182).
The church oriented, ie with the main apse (the only authentic) facing east, was originally a plant of a basilica, that is to say three aisles, which was modified in the thirteenth century when the right nave was turned into a side of the cloister (north).
The primitive system is denoted in the setting of the main facade, in the central part of which comprises the decorative design. The architectural score, although updated, does not differ from the Roman Padanian tradition, taken in the use of three rows of blind arcades and of other details (saw tooth frames, ceramic basins, the lively two-tone brickwork).
The highly innovative element in Vezzolano is the inclusion of plastic decoration of Transalpine origin, first borrowed from Antelami arts, combined with Burgundian Romanesque recollections. This period can be attributed as the Annunciation, carved in the jambs of the central window of the main apse, with a precise iconographic representation that was preserved in the Holly of San Michele to the locks. From the same workshop are the capital with stories of the Virgin (cloister), the Solomon playing the lute (the presbytery) and the foil capitals with classical busts of the north side of the cloister. Coeval, from other teachers, is a Samson struggling with a lion (left aisle), the cloister of Telamon and the jambs of the portal.
Around 1230, it has a stronger Transalpine connotation. It’s associated to this new phase of work, the cycle of the rood screen, the bezel of the main entrance, and the sculptural apparatus of the facade. The presence of the richly decorated apparatus in a context of vibrato color, where the two colors of the wall were adorned with lively colorful statues which makes this church as one of "the most joyous" of the Medieval architectural heritage.
Director: arch. Cristina Lucca
INFO
Opening times
-15 October - 28 February: open Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 - 12.30 / 14.00 - 17.00;
- 1 March - 14 October: open Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 - 12.30 / 14.00 - 18.30.
Closed on Monday
ADMISSION FREE
To guided visits Associazione Culturale La Cabalesta
Via San Giuseppe Cafasso 29/b - Castelnuovo don Bosco (AT)
Tel/Fax +39 011 9872463 - E-mail:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
---
ABBAZIA DI S.MARIA DI VEZZOLANO
Via Vezzolano, 34
14022 Albugnano (AT)
Tel: +39 011 9920607
E-mail:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Heritage sites 
