San Paragorio
44°12′12.54″N 8°24′54.28″E / 44.2034833°N 8.4150778°E
San Paragorio | |
---|---|
Location | Noli, Savona |
Country | Italy |
San Paragorio is a church located outside the Medieval walls of the town of Noli, province of Savona. It is an important monument of Romanesque architecture in Liguria. It is an Italian national monument since 1890.
Architecture and history of the church
The church has two phases of use: Paleochristian (5th–6th century) and Romanesque (11th century). It is dedicated to St. Paragorius, a saint who fled with his companions from Libia, to escape from persecution under Diocletian (end of the 3rd century), took refuge in Corsica, in the town of Calenzana, and there was martyred. In the 5th–6th century his relics were taken to Noli, as the island was threatened with invasions of Vandals.[1] Presence of the remains of the saint resulted in development of the religious complex. It was restored by an architect Alfredo D'Andrade after the earthquake of 1887.
The entrance is found on the left side of the church. The white and black coloring of the portal (from 13th century) matches the gothic protruding porch, made of stone and bricks, supported by two columns. To the left of the entrance are located two monumental arcosolium tombs (13th–14th century). Some traces of frescos attributed to celebrated Lombard artists can still be seen. The tomb of Gandolfo De Gasco (1272), identifiable by its Gothic inscription, is situated on the right of the protruding porch. Between the church and the surrounding wall, can be seen four Paleochristian sarcophagi dating to 5th–7th century, discovered during the archaeological excavations. It is worth noting that the central apse is decorated with eleven Islamic bowls, above the row of small blind arches. These decorative elements (recently taken for restoration; the present ones are copies) are among the most ancient walled bowls in Liguria (from about 1050 AD). Remains of a Paleochristan baptistery and late antique necropolis were found in the archaeological excavations carried out in the 1970's by Nino Lamboglia in the area around the church. Later excavations under the Ligurian Archaeological Superintendence showed also remains of a settlement of craftsmen and of the early church edifices (6th century).
The church is subdivided into three naves with semi-circular
Gallery
-
Facade
-
Grave in double arcosolium
-
Grave in single arcosolium
-
Entrance
-
Romanesque wooden Christ
-
Romanesque choir
Notes and references
- ^ Acta Sanctorum: Mensis Septembris Tomus III (Antwerp: vander Plassche 1750), p. 44.
Sources
- Lamboglia, N. (1973), "Gli scavi di S. Paragorio e il problema delle origini di Noli," (in Italian) Rivista di Studi Liguri (1973), pp. 64–71.
- Varaldo, C. (1978). La chiesa di S. Paragorio a Noli e la zona archeologica, (in Italian). Savona 1978.
External links