SHARRYLAND
Church of San Colombano in Vaprio d'Adda
A forest of stone symbols that seems to leap out of a medieval bestiary
Where is
What it is and where it is
The church of San Colombano is a true gem of Romanesque architecture in Lombardy that is located not far from the Adda River. If you are lucky you will also find the gate to the garden that surrounds the church open, and then you can lean out from the parapet and see the green ribbon of the river that now flows placidly through the countryside. This is where the gray stone used to build it comes from, the stump of the Adda, and it is the stone that shaped by Lombard stonemasons creates a forest of symbols that seem to leap out of a medieval bestiary.
Why it is special: discovering the medieval bestiary
In the center of the façade is the splayed portal with richly carved pilasters and capitals. There are misshapen human figures, two animals sharing heads, a two-tailed mermaid, an angel that seems to be protecting a small man, and a monstrous animal. The side portals also have interesting depictions, such as one of the oldest images of falconry, or two gargoyle-like animals that served to keep evil spirits away from the church.
A look at the apse
Continuing the tour outside we come to the back. The apse features three single-lancet windows and three oculi, a hanging arch motif, and an elaborate cornice above. Under one of the small arches is a curious figurine with outstretched arms. On the corners of the apse wall are two figures, the visible one representing a kneeling man and below the head of an animal.
Not to be missed: the interior of the church.
But it is worth entering because the interior, divided in two by a large arch, is really special and interesting. The apse and the two apsidioles are preceded, in an uncommon solution, by a barrel-vaulted presbytery and two chapels with cross vaults. Here, too, among friezes and capitals, the journey into medieval imagery continues: men preying on fierce beasts in one capital, men subduing fierce beasts in another, and then a bearded triton, the male mermaid symbolizing lust, fierce lions, and elegant and well-delineated acanthus leaves.
A bit of history
The church dates back to the early 12th century, perhaps built on an older building; today it is in the village, next to the hospital, but at one time it was isolated and located near the road from Milan to Aquileia. The dedication to St. Columbanus depends on the stop the saint made in the area before reaching Bobbio. Later, however, are the frescoes of which only a few traces remain. St. Columbanus is the one with the white habit and reddish hair. According to legend it was St. Columbanus himself who founded the church.
Fun fact: St. Columbanus and the Knights Templar.
There are several details in the church of St. Columbanus that have led historians to think that it may have been, for a time, a Templar church. The most obvious is the large cross painted on the bowl of the apse surrounded by many eight-pointed stars. Another special feature is the portrait of St. Columbian, different from the usual iconography in the color of his hair and the absence of his beard. It is thought that the artist was inspired by a portrait done by someone who knew the saint in person.
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