Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (Biasca)
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul ( Italian: Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo ) stands east above the village of Biasca on a rocky ridge in the Swiss canton of Ticino . It was built between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century and, with its gallery of wall paintings from different eras, is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Switzerland.
history
As the intersection of the three so-called Ambrosian valleys Leventina , Blenio and Riviera , Biasca was the mother church that looked after the Christians in the surrounding valleys.
A document from the year 830 in the monastery of Pfäfers reports on a priesthood in Biasca . The sheet on which the believers who had to be mentioned in the mass were listed is now kept in the library of the monastery of St. Gallen . The existence of a cathedral chapter and a provost's office is proven in the 12th century .
description
Exterior construction
The church can be reached by a long staircase from the old village center. Two open stairs lead to the main portal; they were built in 1685 instead of the narrower older ones. The column portal with columns and capitals in Tuscan style, which protects the entrance, dates from 1732. The front facade is divided by six blind arcades, above which there is a double-arched window. The large picture next to the entrance is in poor condition; it shows a representation of Christophorus.
The north facade shows that the mountain-side choir section with its semicircular apse is built directly on the rock and the western nave stands on a bricked-up base. The masonry corresponds to that of the main facade and is structured by high blind arcades. Alternating narrow single-arched windows are set into the wall. A later built-in door disturbs the fresco of the Last Supper inside.
The south facade consists of different masonry. The chapel, the door towered over by an archivolt and also retrofitted, and the bell tower do not create a uniform impression. The former cemetery is also to the south.
The church tower with a square base rises over four floors. One-, two- and three-lobed windows are covered with pilaster strips on the upper floors . The clock on the west side was installed in the 17th century.
inner space
The Romanesque basilica , covered with a flat wooden roof , is divided into three naves by five pairs of square columns and its floor plan corresponds to an early Christian basilica. The high walls of the central nave are windowless, the outer naves are structured by narrow arched windows. A special effect of the barren and solemn room arises from the floor rising towards the choir ; due to the building site located on a steep slope, which also prevented the building from being precisely eastward . The rising level is overcome by steps on the second and fourth pair of pillars. In addition, the middle and southern ship narrow to the east, while the northern ship narrows to the west.
The current shape of the eastern section on the mountain side dates back to the 12th century: the last yoke on each side was covered with a cross vault, together they form a kind of recessed transept with three chapels. In the choir, the semicircular apse protrudes outwards. Flat painted wooden coffered ceilings replace the baroque barrel and groin vaults.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, extensive renovations were carried out outside and inside; the ground has also been leveled. The polygonal rosary chapel on the south side was built around 1600 by order of Cavaliere Giovanni Battista Pellanda (1541–1615). Pellanda was an influential figure in Biasca. His grave slab is placed next to the chapel.
During restoration work between 1955 and 1967 under the direction of the architect Alberto Camenzind , most of the interior renovations were reversed and the Romanesque components were highlighted again. The leveling of the floor was also reversed and the floor was covered with granite slabs.
View of the choir with apse
inner space
Cross vault
photos
The numerous frescoes date from the 13th to the 17th century. The oldest are chessboard-like grisaille paintings in the cross vaults. Most of the other frescoes date from the 15th century and cover walls and pillars. The pictures are by various painters whose names are not known. Exceptions are works by Antonio da Tradate, Nicolao da Seregno and the Tarilli school.
The large fresco depicting the life of Charles Borromeo was by Alessandro Gorla from 1620. It was commissioned by Giovanni Basso (1552–1629), who was provost in Biasca for 43 years and wanted to pay tribute to the saint.
Way of the Cross
A Way of the Cross begins at San Pietro e Paolo . The 14 chapels were built in 1742; In 1998 they were renovated. Instead of frescoes that have almost disappeared, mosaics by contemporary Ticino artists were used. The Way of the Cross can be covered in half an hour. It leads through a chestnut forest to the Santa Petronilla Oratory.
literature
- Art guide through Switzerland , published by the Society for Swiss Art History, Volume 2, Bern 2005
- Klaus Speich / Hans Schläpfer: Churches and monasteries in Switzerland ; Ex-Libris-Verlag, Zurich 1978, p. 93
- Art Guide Switzerland , Ex-Libris-Verlag, Zurich 1982
- Brochure in the Church of San Pietro e Paolo
Web links
- Collegiate Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo on Ticino.ch
- Renzo Dionigi: Collegiate Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, frescoes, sculptures
Individual evidence
- ^ Art guide through Switzerland , published by the Society for Swiss Art History, Volume 2, Bern 2005; P. 434
- ↑ Paolo Ostinelli: Ambrosianiche valleys. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Collegiate Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Daniela Pauli Falconi: Giovanni Battista Pellanda. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Simona Martinoli et alii: Guida d'arte della Svizzera italiana , ed. GSK , Edizioni Casagrande, Bellinzona 2007, ISBN 978-88-7713-482-0 , 71-73.
Coordinates: 46 ° 24 '4.3 " N , 8 ° 52' 16.1" E ; CH1903: 710161 / 139877