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Masserano (Biella)- Church of Saints Defendente and Faustino
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Show to visit in the Biella area: |
 The Church of the Saints Defendente and Faustino is located in the Mombello hamlet and was built in the late Baroque style at the end of the eighteenth century by order of the Congregation of the Confraternity of Mercy, later known as of the Gonfalone.
Construction works began in 1773 and continued until at least 1781, although various details were only added later.
The church is constructed of exposed local red stone, interspersed with brick, and has a rather rough structure, especially since the space under the roof is practically open to the outside. The bell tower is located on the left, immediately behind the façade and before the left side chapel.
The façade is completely plastered and its late Baroque structure is rather pretentious.
Its most distinctive feature is the vertical division into three concave sections delimited by pilasters with Ionic capitals. The two side parts, further enhancing the lines, are oriented at 45 degrees.
It is vertically divided into a high plinth (which, however, is present only on the two side panels), a main section, and, above, a large mixtilinear pediment that widens at the sides with decorative balustrades. The vertical division is emphasized by multiple cornices.
There is a single central entrance, with a carved solid wood door and a portal surmounted by a round pediment. Above the entrance door is a large oval oculus surrounded by a frame with volutes and decorative elements with a plant theme. On the façade, on the two side panels, there are two additional rectangular windows. Each has a frame that matches that of the door. The pediment here, however, is triangular.
The vertical division of the façade is emphasized by the presence, at the top, of four vase-shaped pinnacles with torches.
The interior of the church is a Greek cross, with the two lateral branches of the cross consisting of two chapels. Note that from the outside, the Greek cross structure of the interior is not recognizable because it is hidden by the bell tower and by additional service spaces to the sides of the entrance and the presbytery.
The entrance and presbytery feature a domed vault with lunettes (with real windows in only some of the lunettes, the others are just painted). At the centre of the vault of the presbytery, inside a mixtilinear frame, Saint Defendente is depicted. In a similar frame above the entrance, Saint Eusebius, the co-patron saint, is depicted.
The central section is covered by a dome. In the pendentives there are frescoes from 1780 depicting the four cardinal virtues.
The structure of the two side chapels is interesting: essentially, two large semicircular apses high enough to touch the edge of the dome.
The surfaces of the vaults are enlivened by the presence of raised profiles that create frames and highlight the lines connecting the various elements.
The walls are vertically punctuated by pilasters, while vertically they are separated from the vaults by a double cornice that runs along the entire internal perimeter. Note that on the counterfaçade, the two cornices separate from each other to embrace the oval oculus. On the counterfaçade, there is a solid wood choir that extends along its entire width and connects at the bottom with the vestibule, the upper part of which is decorated with two vase-shaped wooden pinnacles with flames that recall those above the façade.
The interior is also embellished by six small balconies, four of which are connected in pairs. The two on the entrance side communicate with the choir loft.
The left chapel (Fig. 2) features a gray marble altar from 1861 in the shape of a classical temple. In the niche at the center of the retable is a painted wooden statue of the Crucifixion, at the foot of which lie the remains of Saints Defendente and Faustino, also depicted in the two statues on either side of the altarpiece.
In the right chapel (Fig. 3), an altar made of polychrome imitation marble houses, within a display case, the body of Saint Vincent the Martyr, with a wax face. Above it, hanging on the back wall, is a painting by an unknown artist depicting the Virgin of the Angels, St. Lucy, and St. Apollonia.
The presbytery is separated from the nave by a polychrome marble balustrade.
The large high altar is made of polychrome marble and was created at the end of the nineteenth century by Davide Argenti di Viggiù. The retable has an architectural structure consisting of six unequal columns supporting an entablature that goes around the large cross placed at the center. The altar is richly decorated with statues of putti and cherub heads.
As in the Church of the Holy Spirit, it extends laterally to the walls of the presbytery, separating the presbytery from the choir. The latter is accessible via two passageways, above which are two large statues of the two dedicatee saints.
The choir is very deep. The stalls, in two rows, are carved from solid wood. On the back wall is a niche containing a large wooden statue of Saint Eusebius. The niche is surrounded by a sumptuous polychrome marble frame enriched with stucco decorations, which in turn is surrounded by a trompe l'oeil frame that simulates the space elongating backwards. In fact, this frame might seem strange, because when viewed from inside the choir, the perspective is incorrect. However, it should be viewed from the nave, where, at the appropriate distance, the niche and the marble frame appear to merge with the altar, and the choir actually appears longer than it actually is. A very refined illusion, therefore, reminiscent of the famous one found in the Church of Santa Maria at San Satiro in Milan.
Categories: Places of historical value of artistic value
Frazione Mombello, 101, 13866 Masserano BI |
Church of Saints Defendente and Faustino: Further pictures in the section Photography |