Santa Maria Maggiore is a church in Lomello, province of Pavia,

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, Italy, an example of

First Romanesque One of the first streams of Romanesque architecture in Europe from the 10th century and the beginning of 11th century is called First Romanesque or Lombard Romanesque. It took place in the region of Lombardy (at that time the term encompassing ...

art. It includes the oldest

cross vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

s in Italy. The oldest document mentioning the basilica is a privilege by

pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...

, dated 22 August 1107. Archaeological studies showed that at least two churches existed in the site before the current one, the earliest one being perhaps contemporary to the annexed

baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes The Baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes is a religious edifice in Lomello, Lombardy, northern Italy. An example of Romanesque- Lombard architecture, it is annexed to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, another early Middle Ages structure. D ...

(c. 5th-7th centuries). The basilica has a nave and two aisles with a lower

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

. The façade was originally embedded in the city's walls, but later the first three bays were abandoned and a new façade was obtained by closing one of the internal arches with a new wall. The nave is characterized by arches which, at the sides, have double

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

ed windows at the sides. The pillars which do not support the arches are prolonged by blind columns up to the

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

. The longitudinal arches (those separating the nave from the aisles) are supported by semicolumns which form the pillars. The aisles are a 14th-century reconstruction of the original ones. In 1944 a crypt, perhaps unfinished, was discovered. Adejacent to the basilica is the nearly coeval

Baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes The Baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes is a religious edifice in Lomello, Lombardy, northern Italy. An example of Romanesque- Lombard architecture, it is annexed to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, another early Middle Ages structure. D ...

Sources

External links

Page on the municipal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Maggiore Lomello Churches in the province of Pavia Romanesque architecture in Lombardy Basilica churches in Lombardy 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy