Bellagio - Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of San Giovanni Battista)

Bellagio - Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of San Giovanni Battista)

  • Telephone: +39 031 950442
  • Address: Vicolo Pretorio, 1 Bellagio (CO) ITA

Church of San Giovanni Battista is arguably the most beautiful in the whole of the Larian Triangle. It rises up from the lake, almost as if to underline the concept of purification through baptism personified by its patron saint. This has always been a village of sailors and Saint Nicholas, protector of sailors, was once worshipped here as well as John the Baptist. Saint John’s parish church has always stood apart and gives its name to the neighbourhood (San Giovanni), which borders on the estate of the Benedictine monastery of Saint Mary of Loppia. A place of prayer and culture, Saint John’s has undergone several renovations, the last in the late 1800s. It has numerous artistic and architectural treasures, including the splendid carved wooden altar and a 16th-century altarpiece depicting Christ Resurrected surrounded by angels, saints and other holy souls. Previously attributed to Gaudenzio Ferrari, this was subsequently recognised as a work by his pupil, Bernardino Lanino, based on the cartoon held at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. In the chapel on the right, the altar of Our Lady of Grace is surmounted by a large canvas attributed to Orsola Maddalena Caccia, an Ursuline nun and daughter of Moncalvo, a painter from Novara who enjoyed huge popularity in the early 1600s. The painting in the last chapel on the right is by another 17th-century artist, Aragonio Aragoni, from Brescia. A further significant feature of the church?s rich interior is the impressive organ, which is used for concert recordings. The notable Baroque Madonna was brought from Genoa to embellish this lakeside place of worship.

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