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Biandrate (Novara, Italy): Church of San Colombano
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 HISTORY
The Parish Church of San Colombano has ancient origins, being mentioned in 1146, although its construction probably dates back to before 1000. It was a collegiate church and was incorporated into the walls of the Castle of the Counts of Biandrate, the remains of which are still visible.
In 1168, Biandrate was destroyed by the Lombard League, and the church supplanted the older Pieve di Santa Maria, so much so that by 1224 it had taken its place as the parish church. This original parish church already had a structure and orientation similar to the current one.
At the end of the fourteenth century, the remains of Saint Serenus, Bishop of Marseille, were found. He died, it is believed, in 601 in Biandrate while returning from a trip to Rome. This discovery gave rise to the cult of the saint, who was elected the patron saint of the town. In his honor, a scurolo (chapel of the relics) was built above an enlarged atrium (the one still visible today) to house the saint's remains. Provost Bonsignore di Arborio decorated the new atrium with frescoes, likely painted by Giovanni de Campo.
From the seventeenth century until the nineteenth century, the church underwent various modifications and expansions, most notably the lengthening of the presbytery and the addition of six side chapels. Of the late medieval church remain only the atrium and various clay panels inserted into the south wall of the church and depicting wild beasts and a two-tailed mermaid.
The decoration inside the crypt was renovated in the seventeenth century. Of the original decoration, only two frescoes of the Madonna and Child remain.
The 45-meter-tall bell tower was erected between 1818 and 1819.
STRUCTURE
The church lacks a true façade, as in its place there is a portico and above it the chapel of the relics of Saint Serenus. The entrance is therefore from the side, through an 18th-century arch separate from the church. The bell tower, square in plan and punctuated by string courses, is located at the rear right corner of the church and is separate from it.
The actual entrance to the church is inside the portico in front of it. This comprises four spans. The third hosts magnificent late medieval frescoes dating back to 1444 and attributed to Giovanni di Campo. The wall facing the church is entirely occupied by a crowded Last Judgement dominated by a Christ in a mandorla at the center. On the ceiling, separated by fruit trees, the four evangelists writing the Gospels are depicted. At the center is Christ the Savior of the World. The intrados of one of the two arches of the span is filled with depictions of prophets and figures from the Old Testament, while the other is filled with purely decorative elements.
The interior of the church has three naves separated by cruciform pillars. The central nave features a barrel vault with lunettes, while the side naves have cross vaults. The walls, pillars, and vaults are richly decorated with neoclassical paintings, created to simulate frames, panels, faux marble, and decorative elements in relief.
The counterfaçade is entirely occupied by a double staircase leading to the scurolo (Fig. 4, 5), the chapel dedicated to Saint Serenus. This very large chapel extends transversally across the entire width of the church. It comprises two naves with cross vaults and, above the subchapel where the remains of the saint are kept, an octagonal dome protected externally by a tiburium. It is originally believed that the scurolo housed frescoes similar to those in the atrium. Of these original decorations, some torn frescoes have been preserved. The current decorations, however, date back to the Baroque period, as regards the subchapel containing the remains of the saint (a subchapel enclosed by a large wrought-iron gate, whose dome depicts Saint Serenus in Glory, while the tambour depicts episodes from the saint's life). The remaining parts likely date back to the early twentieth century.
The chapels of the church, starting from the entrance, are on the left side:
- Chapel of the Sacred Heart (Fig. 2): It houses a large statue of Jesus placed on a shelf. The barrel vault is frescoed to simulate a frame with cherubs holding a scroll inside.
- Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows: It was erected in 1920. The sumptuous polychrome marble altar houses a large niche in its center that normally contains a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which however was being restored when the photo was taken. The walls and vault are finely decorated with stucco and frescoes. Note the false window in the lunette, half-shuttered by a curtain. Under the altar table is a statue of Christ taken down from the Cross.
- Chapel of the Crucifix: It is located at the head of the left nave and houses a large crucifix in a glass-enclosed niche.
On the right side, still starting from the entrance, are:
- Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua (Fig. 3): Built between 1816 and 1817. The altar, made of polychrome marble and faux marble, has a scagliola antependium and a trompe l'oeil retable. In fact, the large display case containing a statue of the saint is set directly within the wall. The vault and walls are finely decorated with frescoes, including numerous simulated frames and stucco. On the left wall is a reproduction of the Lourdes grotto created by Ravasio Guelfo in 1912.
- Chapel of Saint Joseph: The altar, made of (faux?) polychrome marble, houses a large altarpiece depicting Saint Joseph.
- Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary: Located at the head of the right nave. It is the most beautiful and richly decorated and was built in the seventeenth century in typical Baroque style. The altar is made of polychrome marble, while its sumptuous retable is a trompe l'oeil simulation. At the center is a large altarpiece depicting the Madonna enthroned with Saints Charles and Dominic, and an angel offering her a tray with a rosary. The domed vault is filled with a glory of angels and musician cherubs. The pendentives depict the four evangelists. The chapel also hides a secret. The altarpiece is actually the door of a large reliquary cabinet built into the wall.
The church's presbytery is very deep. Slightly raised above the nave, it is separated from it by a marble balustrade. On either side of the entrance to the presbytery are two wooden pulpits. The domed vault is entirely filled with a fresco depicting Saint Columbanus kneeling before the Trinity, surrounded by cherubs and music-making angels. The fresco is from the Baroque period and is attributed to the school of Tiepolo. The pendentives depict the evangelists. The two side walls are occupied by two large choir lofts, of which, however, only the left one houses an organ, while the right one features a depiction of an organ behind a curtain. Above the large Baroque altar in polychrome marble in the center hangs a canopy with a gilded wooden frame.
The apse is semicircular. The lower section is occupied by a wooden choir, while in the center of the back wall hangs a painting depicting Saint Columbanus surrounded by cherubs and angels. Note that the two windows are surrounded by sumptuous, simulated Baroque frames.
In addition to the actual Church of Saint Columbanus, the complex also includes a small chapel, located in front of the parish house, which once served as an ossuary, and the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine, once home to a now-almost extinct confraternity.
Categories: Places of historical value of artistic value
Piazza della Chiesa, 7, 28061 Biandrate NO |
Further pictures of Church of San Colombano in the section Photography |