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Rosazza (Biella)- Parish Church of the Saints Peter and George
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Show to visit in the Biella area: |
 The Parish Church of Saints Peter and George in Rosazza was built at his own expense in 1876 by Senator Federico Rosazza, a native of Rosazza. It reflects, like few other buildings, the spirit and sentiments prevalent among a certain segment of the Piedmontese (and European) bourgeoisie of the time, which combined devotion to one's hometown, patriotism, patronage, a passion for the Middle Ages, and membership in the Freemasonry. It should be noted that religious sentiment, on the other hand, was barely present, and the church should be seen as a gift to its fellow citizens, rather than a demonstration of religious devotion, as as would have been in the previous centuries.
HISTORY
The church described on this page was built to replace the previous one, located further up the village and not actually old, but by then too small for the then-growing population.
It was built on land previously occupied by one of the village cemeteries. The remains there were moved to the new Monumental Cemetery, built a little further down the other side of the Cervo stream, built the year before also by Senator Rosazza.
It is worth emphasizing that the senator's impact on his hometown of Rosazza is extremely strong, and this is what makes Rosazza unique among Alpine villages. Furthermore, the senator enriched not only Rosazza, but the entire Cervo Valley, with numerous works of social, aesthetic, and economic value. A true example of philanthropy driven by sincere devotion.
The church was entirely built according to the designs of the painter Giuseppe Maffei of Graglia, who also painted the interior decorations. Almost everything was created using local materials and relying on artisans and craftsmen from the Biella area or Piedmont. The three secondary altars, from the now-defunct Church of San Silvestro in Genoa, are exceptions.
STRUCTURE
The church is built in a style that purports to recall medieval Lombard architecture, but in reality, the architectural style of the church is a highly imaginative reinterpretation of it, enriched with symbols from fields other than Christian religion, namely those of esotericism and Freemasonry.
The general structure of the building, imposing in proportion to the dimension of the town, is a basilica without a transept.
The facade, with its salient features, reflects the internal tripartite division, with exposed brick pilasters marking it vertically. At the top of each pilaster and at the apex is a small aedicule with a cross.
The entire lower section is occupied by a portico supported by double granite columns. A cornice of hanging arches runs beneath the roofline.
At the center of the façade is a plaque commemorating the church's construction by Federico Rosazza.
The façade features five windows: two oculi on the sides, two monoforas inside the portico (each protected by a painted wrought iron rose) and a cross between a trifora and a Serlian window in the upper center.
The central door features a terracotta portal with a curious oriental shape plant motifs decoration, in particulr roses. The arched shape of the portal is echoed in a decoration on the façade.
Exteriorly, the body of the church is characterized by a high base of exposed stone, in some places arranged in a herringbone pattern.
On the street side, the entire length of the church is occupied by an additional portico.
Note that the interior of the church, corresponding to the height of this portico, is occupied by the crypt, or winter church. It is accessed from the portico through an entrance with a stone portal in a Romanesque-like-style.
On the mountain side, there are three parallel walkways: a central, wider one that connects directly to the road below, one adjoining the church, leading to a terrace, and one adjoining the woods.
They are accessed through a stone entrance whose rear features highly unusual decorations, particularly a large five-pointed star and a large swastika. Also noteworthy are the four small statues depicting Federico Rosazza and Giuseppe Mattei on one side, and Battista Rosazza Bertina and a woman carrying building materials on the other, at the base of the last right arch of the portico on the façade.
The church's walls are punctuated externally by pilasters that mirror the interior spans. All the lateral roof attachments also feature cornices of hanging arches. Below this cornice in the central apse is a further decoration of blind terracotta arches. Inside two of them are depicted Don Paolino Porrino, parish priest at the time of the church's construction, and Giuseppe Maffei, who designed and decorated it.
The dome above the presbytery is protected externally by a circular tiburium.
The bell tower is located at the bottom right, detached from the church, and the central walkway passes under it. Made of exposed stone, divided into panels with cornices of small hanging arches below the upper edge of each and with increasingly larger openings as you ascend, it is the part of the church most closely resembles the Romanesque style.
Inside, the three naves are separated by arches resting on granite columns. The side naves are about half as tall and wide as the central nave, but have the same number of spans, all featuring sail vaults. The interior of the church is illuminated not only by the windows on the façade, but also by large single-lancet windows on the sides with the Maltese cross inserted in the glass and by oculi in the lunettes of the vaults of the central nave. There are also two large Serlian windows in the presbytery and two single-lancet windows in the apse.
A distinctive element of the interior is the richness of color, starting with the vault of the central nave, which is blue and dotted with stars arranged to simulate a real starry sky. Dark green (central nave walls and the presbytery back wall), light green (side nave vaults), and salmon pink (side nave walls and the presbytery side walls) also feature. These colors are found in the decorations that emphasize the lines of the various architectural elements. Many windows also feature colored glass.
Below the vaults, a prominent cornice runs along the entire perimeter of the central nave, with the exception of the counterfaçade. Below it, a band of stucco decorations with a plant theme.
The central section of the counterfaçade, decorated with a depiction of music-making angels, houses a carved wooden choir connected to the underlying vestibule. The choir houses an organ made by Camillo Bianchi of Novi Ligure.
A curious stylistic element is represented by the columns that delimit the presbytery, which appear to be covered by a net in the upper half. The dome above is decorated with a blue sky with angels arranged in a circle. The pendentives depict the four evangelists (the only pictorial decorations not by Maffei, but by Vespasiano Bignami). The nave and presbytery are separated by a white marble balustrade.
The side walls of the presbytery are entirely occupied by numerous paintings on religious themes, from various periods and by various artists. Among them, in particular:
Left wall:
- Immaculate Madonna by Guglielmo Caccia, known as Moncalvo
- Assumption of the Virgin, attributed to Gerolamo Lanino
Right wall
- Madonna with Child, attributed to Guido Reni
The high altar is made of white marble and is a local production. The large painting on the back wall of the apse depicts Christ Handing Over the Keys of the Kingdom and was painted by 19th-century local painters Pietro Vincenzo and Luigi Alessandro Mosca Moro.
There are three other altars, also in marble, which come from the suppressed church of San Silvestro in Genoa.
The altar at the head of the right lateral nave is dedicated to the Guardian Angel and dates back to the Baroque period. Made of inlaid polychrome marble, it is characterized by a wide variety of shapes and colors, with curved lines that tend to prevail as it ascends. The altarpiece consists of a high-relief depicting the Guardian Angel. At the top, in a niche, is a Madonna of the Rosary with Child accompanied by cherubs. The vault of the span containing the altar is entirely occupied by a fresco depicting the Battle of Lepanto.
In front of the altar, on a small table, is a carved and gilded wooden aedicule containing a Crowned Madonna and Child.
The altar at the head of the left nave, also Baroque, lacks a retable. Curved lines predominate, with a base entirely formed by volutes.
On the left wall of the first span is the baptistery, protected by a painted wrought-iron balustrade and consisting of a marble altar with an architectural structure. At the center of the upper half is a Baptism of Christ by the Mosca Moro painters.
The Stations of the Cross on the walls are also by the Mosca Moro painters.
The left section of the presbytery, continuation of the left nave, is a service space where various artifacts and works of art are preserved.
In the crypt the altar opposite the entrance comes from the old church.
The flooring and furnishings of the churchyard are not only decorative, but also allude to Masonic and esoteric symbols, particularly the five-pointed cross, the rose, and the small columns topped with bunches of hydrangeas.
The parish house, finally, was built in 15th-century Venetian style by Federico Rosazza Pistolet, on design by the painter Giuseppe Maffei, along with the nearby parish church. The main entrance has a stone portal, also featuring statues of the church's creators at the base of the arch. On the wall, there is a niche with a statue of Saint John the Baptist.
To learn more about the esoteric aspect of the church (and Rosazza): Mysteries of Rosazza: A journey through symbolism and architecture on the Proloco di Rosazza website.
For information on when the church is open and to organize visits you can contact the Proloco.
Categories: Places of historical value
Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 2, 13815 Rosazza BI |
Parish Church of the Saints Peter and George: Further pictures in the section Photography |