The Basilica Abbey of San Mercuriale is the main religious building in

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

, in

Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...

(northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

); the rather smaller

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

was largely destroyed by fire in the 19th century.

History and overview

A first church was built here in the 4th century, dedicated to St. Stephen. It was destroyed by a fire in 1173. The dedication to Saint Mercurialis, the local martyr and patron, had appeared in the 9th century. In 1176 the edifice was assigned to the

Vallumbrosan Order The Vallombrosians (alternately spelled Vallombrosans, Vallumbrosians or Vallumbrosans) are a monastic religious order in the Catholic Church. They are named after the location of their motherhouse founded in Vallombrosa (), situated 30 km ...

. The current edifice was finished in 1180 in Lombard-Romanesque style, along with the famous

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

. The latter, with its height of 75 m, is one of the tallest in Italy. In the 13th century it was considered one of the marvels of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. The abbey, which once was located outside the ancient Roman city, was included in a new line of walls in that period. In the 15th century the Vallumbrosans' cloister was annexed to the construction: it has a rectangular shape and is decorated by slender columns, with a central well that can still be seen. The

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

of the church was rebuilt in 1585. Of the same period is also the wooden choir, designed by Alessandro Bigni from

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

. The

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

and the bell tower are in

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...

. The former is decorated with

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

s supported by columns. The magnificent

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

over the main portal portrays the ''Epiphany with Dream and Adoration of the Magi'', and is attributed to the so-called Master of the Months, who was active also in the

cathedral of Ferrara Ferrara Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral and minor basilica in Ferrara, Northern Italy. Dedicated to Saint George, the patron saint of the city, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Ferrara and the largest religious building in the city. ...

. The interior houses numerous works of art. The most famous is the Sepulchre of Barbara Manfredi, the young wife of

Pino III Ordelaffi Pino III Ordelaffi (11 March 1436 – 10 February 1480) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Forlì. He was a member of the Ordelaffi family. Biography The son of Antonio I Ordelaffi, he was the brother of Francesco IV Ordelaffi, lord of Fo ...

, lord of Forlì. It was carved by

Francesco di Simone Ferrucci Simone Ferrucci (1437–1493), also Francesco di Simone Ferrucci, was an Italian sculptor. Ferrucci was born in Fiesole into a family of artists, and was probably trained by his father, Simone di Nanni Ferrucci. He was also first cousin to Andre ...

from

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

. The sepulchre was once housed in the church of San Biagio, which was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Other points of interest include: *Ferri Chapel, with an arcade in

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

n stone by Jacopo Bianchi from

Ulcinj Ulcinj () is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 11,488. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast, it was founded in 5th ...

, with fine decorations and ''grottesche'' in Lombard style. *Paintings by

Marco Palmezzano Marco Palmezzano (1460–1539) was an Italian painter and architect, belonging to the Forlì painting school, who painted in a style recalling earlier Northern Renaissance models. He was mostly active near Forlì. Biography Palmezzano was ...

portraying: ''Madonna Enthroned with Saints John the Evangelist and Catherine of Alexandria'', ''Crucifix with St John Gualbertus and the Magdalene'' and the ''

Madonna with Saints Anselm, Augustine and Stephen Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

'', one of his finest works. *Mercuriali Chapel, with stuccoes and frescoes by

Antonio Tempesta Antonio Tempesta, also called il Tempestino (1555 – 5 August 1630), was an Italian painter and engraver, whose art acted as a point of connection between Roman Baroque, Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp. Much of his work depicts major ba ...

and others. It houses works by

Domenico Passignano Domenico Passignano (1559 – 17 May 1638), born Domenico Cresti or Crespi, was an Italian painter of a late-Renaissance or Counter-''Maniera'' ( Counter-Mannerism) style that emerged in Florence towards the end of the 16th century. Biography ...

Ludovico Cigoli Lodovico or Ludovico Cardi (21 September 1559 – 8 June 1613), also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last ...

, Baldassarre Carrari,

Santi di Tito Santi di Tito (5 December 1536 – 25 July 1603) was one of the most influential and leading Italian painters of the proto-Baroque style – what is sometimes referred to as "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. Biography He was born in Sa ...

and

Francesco Menzocchi Francesco Menzocchi (1502–1574) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerist period. He was born in Forlì, belonged to the Forlì painting school and was active mainly in Forlì and Pesaro. Menzocchi was also called ''il Vec ...

. The construction of the chapel was promoted by eminent physician Girolamo Mercuriali, with his son Massimiliano, to honour the Saints Girolamo and Mercuriale. The chapel was finished in 1606, the same year of the death of Mercuriali who wanted to be buried in it.See ''Il complesso monumentale di San Mercuriale a Forlì. Restauri''; A. Colombi Ferretti, L. Prati, U. Tramonti. Forlì: Comune di Forlì, 2000, pp. 14 ff *Sacrament Chapel

References

External links

The treasures of San Mercuriale in a video by Forlì TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbey of San Mercuriale, Forli Buildings and structures completed in 1180 Buildings and structures in Forlì Monasteries in Emilia-Romagna Basilica churches in Emilia-Romagna Mercuriale 4th-century establishments in Italy Romanesque architecture in Emilia-Romagna