SHARRYLAND
The Gothic frescoes of Viboldone Abbey
In a remnant of irrigated countryside in the Milanese hinterland, a 14th-century abbey holds splendid frescoes
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The wonderful frescoes of Viboldone Abbey.
The Viboldone Abbey church in the Milanese countryside holds a treasure trove. Inside it is rich in frescoes from the Gothic period, among the most important in Lombardy. These works of art are distributed among the walls, arches and vaults of the three naves, giving angles of surprising shapes and colors. In the first bay are represented the stories of Christ. They are by an unknown author, but very beautiful. A curious detail: the Last Supper sees the apostles gathered around a table set with an unusual shape: it is round instead of rectangular.
Why it is special: the great masters of Gothic art.
On the walls of the church of Vidone Abbey one can recognize the hands of some very important artists in Italian Gothic art. One of them is Giusto de Menabuoi, a painter of the Giotto school, famous for his frescoes in the Baptistery of Padua. A Last Judgment and some side scenes are attributed to him, such as with processions of saints led by the Virgin and saints led by St. John the Baptist and the doctors of the church, depicted in their seats.
Another of the famous artists who worked here is Michelino da Besozzo. Attributed to him in the right aisle, second bay, is a mutilated fresco that appears to be a youthful work of his. Wise virgins and foolish virgins are painted under the arches. Also beautiful are the pavilion decorations of the first two vaults, with the colors of the rainbow.
A bit of history
Viboldone, like Mirasole, was also founded by the Humiliati who settled on those lands in 1176. They were an order in which lay people and religious lived, prayed and worked together. The primitive church was later raised and transformed according to the dictates of the Gothic style; the work was completed in 1348. The oldest fresco is on the last archway, behind the altar, the Madonna Enthroned between saints and an angel, dated 1349.
Not to be missed: the exterior of the church
The exterior of the church also deserves attention. Like many of the Lombard churches of the coeval period, it is of brick and white stone; the simple Romanesque gabled facade was raised later, following the Gothic style, with its wind-blown mullioned windows. It is embellished with beautiful terracotta decorations, statues and a lunette with a Madonna and Child between two saints, a soft and human Madonna, attributed to a "Master of Viboldone." Don't forget to take a look at the wooden door, it is still the original one!
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