San Martino (Alzano Lombardo)
The Basilica of San Martino is a church in Alzano Lombardo in the Bergamo province of Lombardy , Italy . The church of the Diocese of Bergamo is dedicated to Martin of Tours , in August 1922 Pope Pius XI. her to the rank of a minor basilica . The richly decorated baroque church stands in the historic center on Piazza Italia and was built in the 17th century and further equipped in the 18th century.
history
The first evidence of a smaller Romanesque predecessor church dates from 1023. Over the centuries, numerous renovations were carried out, including an enlargement in the 15th century together with the construction of the bell tower that is preserved today . At the beginning of the 17th century, the choir was rebuilt thanks to a donation from the Alzanese Bernardino Fugazza. It was at this stage that the paintings Miracles of St. Martin and St. Martin on the Bishop's See were commissioned by Gian Paolo Cavagna .
The current building dates from the 17th century: in 1656 the merchant Nicolò Valle bequeathed his property to the San Martino factory . It was decided to build a new building, the order of which went to Gerolamo Quadrio, architect of the Milan Cathedral , only the new choir was retained. The foundation stone was laid on April 3, 1659 and construction should take about ten years. The church was decorated well into the 18th century.
description
The three-aisled basilica extends over five bays in the nave . The higher and wider central nave is covered with a barrel vault , which rests on white marble columns of composite order . The two aisles were covered with hanging domes stuccoed by Giovanni Angelo Sala.
Eight chapels were built on the sides, dedicated to the themes of baptism, confession, St. Christophorus , St. Rochus and St. Sebastian , St. Luigi Gonzaga and St. Johannes Nepomuk , the Holy Family, the cross of Christ and the rosary, The latter was designed by Quadrio himself with works by Andrea Fantoni and Gian Paolo Cavagna.
Each of these chapels has its own altar, decorated with sculptures, marquetry and paintings, among which those by Venetian artists such as Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (Saint Christopher), Giambettino Cignaroli (Death of Saint Joseph) and Francesco Capella (Pentecost and Triumph of St. Cross) painted picture triptychs stand out.
The church has important painting cycles, including Hagar by Giovanni Carnovali, Abigail meets David by Francesco Capella, Blessing of Jacob by Giuseppe Diotti, Esther and Ahasuerus by Giovan Battista Dell'Era, Jacob meets Lia and Rachel by Andrea Appiani and Judith and Holofernes by Vincenzo Camuccini .
At the pulpit in the central nave, Giovan Battista Caniana, Andrea Fantoni for the marble sculptures and Gian Giacomo Manni for the inlays worked together.
At the end of the 18th century, it was decided to adapt the choir created by Giacomo Martino Caniana . The semicircular apse was replaced by a cylindrical one and finished with a dome in the classical style.
San Martino Museum of Sacred Art
Next to the basilica is the San Martino Sacred Museum . The building was erected in the 16th century as a noble palace on three floors around a small inner square. After being used as a town hall from 1866, it was acquired for the museum in 1953, which was inaugurated in 1994. It shows the history of the basilica in 14 rooms.
literature
- Luigi Pagnoni: Chiese parrocchiali bergamasche: appunti di storia e arte . Bergamo 1992, 324.
- A. Mandelli: Alzano nei secoli . Bergamo, 1988.
- Riccardo Panigada: La Basilica di San Martino e le sue sagrestie. Normaeditrice, 2009.
Web links
- Basilica of San Martino on the side of the museum (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica di S. Martino di Tours on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Il pulpito (Italian)
Coordinates: 45 ° 44 ′ 1.5 ″ N , 9 ° 43 ′ 50.1 ″ E