San Salvatore a Barzanò : da chiesa privata a canonica battesimale, tra storia, architettura e congegno figurativo
Libro
Data di Pubblicazione:
2016
Citazione:
San Salvatore a Barzanò : da chiesa privata a canonica battesimale, tra storia, architettura e congegno figurativo / F. Scirea. - Mantova : SAP Società Archeologica, 2016 Dec. - ISBN 9788899547110. (RICERCHE DI ARCHITETTURA STORICA)
Abstract:
San Salvatore at Barzanò, from Private Chapel to Baptismal Collegiate Church.
A Historical, Architectural and Art-historical Enquiry
During the Middle Ages Barzanò was a small village forty kilometres northeast of Milan, in the low rolling hills of Martesana, the modern Brianza. The site was first mentioned in 1015 [doc. 1]: due to a privilege of Emperor Henry II, the bishop of Como was granted quandam curtem que dicitur Villa Barzanorum, having the right to dispose of it as a personal possession. The privilege was confirmed in 1055 by Emperor Henry III [doc. 2], but nothing informed us about the destiny of this territory until the late twelfth century, when it would appear under the control of da Porta orientale family, originating from the east side of Milan.
At end of the thirteenth century, the local church of San Salvatore is documented as part of the diocese of Milan and controlled by da Pirovano family, also originating from Milan. The church was probably founded in the late tenth century as a private chapel, on the southeast side of a high ground, perhaps already fortified [ill. 1].
The church of Phase 1, consisting of a square shaped hall (6x6,5 meters) with timber roof and barrel-vaulted rectangular apse, is still partly recognisable in today's building [pl. I]. No architectural decoration, like arched frieze or sculptured elements, articulated the rude and thick masonry [pl. IX-XIII; ill. 3-5, 10]. It was probably the chapel of the main family of Barzanò, an expression of power and status.
At the very beginning of the eleventh century, according to the chrono-typology of architecture and masonry, occurred a main renovation, reflecting functional and ritual changes. The stratigraphic analysis has clarified that the bell-tower was built first (Phase 2a), then the western bay, transforming the first facade in arcade (Phase 2b) [pl. II]. However, the context suggests that both phases belong to a single project [pl. VII-IX, XIII-XIV, XVI, XIX-XX; ill. 12-17]. Building the western bay, the entire nave floor was raised by 0,8 meters, both to level the hill slope and to make room for a crypt under the apse. In fact, although in the absence of stratigraphic evidence, the vaulted part of the crypt was very likely obtained in Phase 2b, excavating the basement and raising the apse floor. Two flight of stairs were probably positioned along the walls, three meters east from those still existing. The pre-Romanesque crypts of San Pietro al Monte at Civate (Lecco), San Daniele alla Pedeserva (Belluno), and San Salvatore at Almenno (Bergamo) are comparable in several aspects [ill. 23-24, 27-29].
Finally, an early christian sarcophagus was placed in the middle of the nave, at the level of the floor US 79 [ill. 30]. It was likely the burial of the dominus, i.e. the head of the household owning the church. In 2010, thanks to a micro camcorder, the inside of the sarcophagus has been explored, documenting disarticulated bones, mud, as well as the peculiar "bathtub" shape [ill. 31-32]. That of San Salvatore is one of the countless exemplars manufactured in northern Italy between the second and the fourth century, starting from big stones of serizzo, which is a rough grey granite widespread at the foothills of the Alps [ill. 34-39]. It was a medium-skilled production without any decoration, addressed to a patronage that couldn't afford a richly sculpted marble sarcophagus imported from the east side of the Empire. Most of "bathtub" sarcophagi were reused, mainly as burials during the early Middle Ages, usually as building blocks during the Romanesque period. Many examples are still visible in Milan, particularly in San Nazaro Maggiore and in San Simpliciano.
Most likely in the late eleventh century, the chapel of San Salvatore evol
Tipologia IRIS:
05 - Volume
Keywords:
Medieval architecture; Lombard architecture; Medieval archaeology; Romanesque wall paintings; medieval written sources; Liturgical space; Baptismal font; story of Christ; Iconography; Iconology; Early middle ages; Pre-Romanesque; Romanesque; Late-Romanesque
Elenco autori:
F. Scirea
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