San Frediano
San Frediano is a Romanesque church in Lucca . It has had the honorary title of a basilica minor since 1957 . It is dedicated to Frediano of Lucca .
As an exception, the facade does not face west, but east, because at that time a new city wall was built in the immediate vicinity and the facade was not allowed to go against this wall. The church was built at the beginning of the 12th century (1118–1147), and in the 13th century the nave walls were increased by 3.30 meters, which is why the facade now had to be pulled up. This resulted in a strange structure on the lower part of the facade, which was provided with a mosaic of the "Ascension of Christ" (not all of the original mosaic is preserved. In the 19th century it had to be greatly expanded). The lower part follows the older tradition of simple flat facades.
The campanile was built from 1112 to 1147. He is not in front of the main facade, but on the east side.
Despite or because of the later changes, the interior offers the image of a pure, austere Romanesque . In the central nave, the height and width are in the classic ratio of 2: 1 as in the cathedral of Pisa . Here you can still feel that impression of the early Christian churches, in which a wide strip of wall remains between the ground floor arcades and the window zone, which was covered with mosaics, as can still be seen most vividly in Ravenna today.
In the side aisle directly to the right of the entrance you can see a baptistery and a baptismal font from the mid-12th century. The baptistery should actually be outside the church so that no unbaptized person can enter the church. But there are also variants of this rule, here the baptismal font in direct proximity to the entrance inside. There are no baptisteries in Lucca, the only exception being the baptistery by Santi Giovanni e Reparata . It can be clearly seen that the baptismal font in the crown of its inner basin is very similar to the roof shape of the Pisan baptistery.
Three saints of the Roman Catholic Church are buried in this church. Under the high altar is the burial place of the church patron, St. Frediano. The mummified body of St. Zita from Lucca is exhibited as a relic in a side chapel . An ornate stone relief decorates the grave of Richard of Wessex .
Web links
literature
- Donati, Roberto: Lucca. Narni 1982, pp. 39-43
- Zimmermanns, Klaus: Toscana. Cologne [1980] 3rd edition 1980. (DuMont art travel guide) p. 112, color plate 5, fig. 15,19,20;
Coordinates: 43 ° 50 ′ 46.2 " N , 10 ° 30 ′ 16.7" E