Vezzolano Abbey
The Abbey of Vezzolano is an abbey in the territory of Albugnano, Piedmont, northern Italy, in Gothic–Romanesque style.
History
According to a legend, the foundation of the abbey dates to Charlemagne times. Here he would be hunting, in the year 773, when three skeletons appeared to him from the tomb. He thus decided to build an abbey here entitled to the Virgin Mary.
Historically, the abbey most likely existed in
Architecture
The abbey includes a church with a short bell tower, a cloister and a capitular hall, featuring both Gothic and Romanesque elements. For the construction sandstone and bricks were used to give a bichrome appearance to the exterior (such as in the upper façade), a feature common also in Liguria and Tuscany in the Middle Ages. In the Romanesque façade, two of the three original portals are still existing. The upper part also features small columns with arches, with a
Over the window is a
The Romanesque bell tower was remade in the upper part.
The cloister has columns and capitals in different styles. It has cycle of frescoes with Christ between the Symbols of the Evangelists, the Adoration of the Magii, a Dead Man in Red Toga and Contrast between Three Dead and Three Living Men, the latter perhaps a representation of the legend of Charlemagne.
Interior
Today the interior of the church has only the nave and one aisle, as the right aisle was annexed to the cloister. Two apses are present, the right one having been eliminated to build the Capitular Hall.
The vaults have ogival arches, while the nave is divided in two by a wall inspired to the French
The high altar has, in a tabernacle, a colored terracotta triptych from the mid-15th century, while behind are two Romanesque bas-reliefs in stone, depicting the Archangel Gabriel and the Madonna. The access to the cloister is surmounted by a lunette in Gothic style, portraying the Virgin Enthroned with two angels.
External links
- Page at comune di Asti website (in Italian)