This year, it was just too hot to spend all day on the beach, during our holiday in Chiavari, so I explored a couple of interesting nearby Romanesque buildings. One I had already seen, but the other two were new to me.
Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, near Lavagna, is a late Romanesque work, built by Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, of the noble Fieschi family, who dominated the area. Work started in 1244 and took until the end of the Thirteenth century to finish. It is one of the best preserved Romanesque buildings in Liguria, even surviving a raid by North African Saracens in 1767.
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
The façade presents
itself with alternating bands of white marble and slate, in the typical style
of Ligurian buildings, both public and religious. Columns and arches enrich the
façade; in the centre there is a large rose window surmounted by marble arches
in the Gothic-Romanesque style. The bell tower is an imposing squat quadrangular
tower with four-small windows on two levels. The interior is quite plain and simple, with little decoration.
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
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| Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi, Lavagna, GE |
The monastery
of Sant Andrea of Borzone is, is hidden away, in a solitary valley, near the town of
Borzonasca. On the last narrow stretch of road leading to
the monastery, you hope not to meet a car coming the other way.
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
The date of
its foundation is still uncertain. According to some testimonies, the church
and the monastery were built at the behest of the Lombard king Liutprand
between 712 and 714, with an adjoining royal residence, replacing a fortress
erected by the Byzantines in the sixth century. The characteristic façade in with a brickwork skeleton infilled with stone probably dates from the Ninth Century.
Over the centuries the building has been much altered, especially the interior. The tower dates from 1243, but is founded on the Byzantine fortress tower. The interior stucco was added in the ninetieth century, robbing the inside of any Romanesque atmosphere.
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
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| Abbazia di Sant'Andrea di Borzone, GE |
After the confusion of the coastal towns and beaches, there is a wonderful silence here.
Chiesa Millenaria di Ruta above Camogli, is a modest little church, that as its name suggests, dates back to the early Twelfth century, but the building we see today is mostly datable to the Thirteenth century. Like many religious buildings it sits in a wonderful location with nice views of the coast. It was one a staging point on one of the Medieval roads which crossed the Apennines.
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| Chiesa Millenaria di Ruta, GE. The church can be seen just below the high distant mountain peak on the left. |
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| Chiesa Millenaria di Ruta |
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| Chiesa Millenaria di Ruta |
