Santi Primo e Feliciano is a Romanesque-style

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church in the town center of

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

A church at the site is documented since the 12th century, on the remains of Roman buildings: archaeological excavations carried out between 2008 and 2009 in the courtyard of the church have brought to light the remains of structures and tombs from the Late Antiquity.It belonged to a college of canons regular who in 1354, became members of the Congregation of

Servants of Mary The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

, and so remained till the 18th century. The convent was suppressed in 1810.

Architecture

The original structure had three naves, but in the 15th century an additional nave was added. In the 16th century, the church was reduced to a single nave, with demolition of the prior apse. The facade it is enriched in the terminal part by a blind loggia with intertwined hanging arches that crown the top. The first chapel on the right has a ''Virgin and child with Blessed Bertoni and St John the Baptist'' (1498) by

Agostino da Vaprio Agustino or Agostino Da Vaprio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. He was living in Pavia in the 15th century, and was one of the artists employed by Ludovico Sforza in Milan, in 1490. He is the author of an altar-piece in San Rimo, P ...

. The superior lunette has a fresco depicting ''God the Father''. The transept has a large canvas depicting the ''Martyrdom of St Lawrence'' by Marcantonio Pellini (1664-1760). The presbytery has two lateral frescoes depicting the ''Life of Saints Primo and Feliciano'' (1860) by Bardotti. They depict ''The Trial of the Saints'' on the left, and ''Martyrdom of the Saints'', on the right. The first chapel on the left has a ''Crucifixion with St Pellegrino'' by Sabbadini. PVSPrimo

To the left of the baptismal font there is a 14th century painted marble statue depicting Saint Blaise. On the counter-façade there is a painted Madonna and child attributed to the school of Bernardino Luini. In the counterface of the Gothic nave annexed to the church there is a large fresco representing Christ with the Apostles in the upper part and, in the lower part, the Virgin surrounded by two angels who take souls from Purgatory, while other paintings on the vaults represent

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last mem ...

coats of arms and Galeati lions, a company of

Galeazzo Maria Sforza Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical. He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popula ...

, these works were carried out between 1460 and 1491.

References

{{portal bar, Catholicism, Italy Roman Catholic churches in Pavia Romanesque architecture in Pavia 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy