mail: Bill Thayer |
Italiano |
Help |
Up |
Home |
The abbey church is on the so‑called Lombard plan: a long hall-like nave, and at the end of it a staircase up to the presbytery; thus providing space for a lower church or crypt. Lombard also the ciborium, or stone canopy, over the altar, but salvaged from the nearby rural church of S. Giuliano delle Pignatte. The heavy furniture on either side, by the way, turns out, when lit, to be some rather nice confessionals in faux-marquetry. |
The 12c frescoes of the triumphal arch, as often, depict the Annunciation, with the angel on our left, Mary on the far right; in the quatrefoils between them, the Symbols of the Four Evangelists, and (just a guess, since two of the three in the center are lost) the three Persons of the Trinity. |
This Gothic church, alas, has been completely reworked in later centuries, and its appearance today owes a lot to the 18c, or even much later. In utter contrast, thus, to the lower church, this space has lost its structural embellishments, and relies on bits and pieces of added decoration to relieve the sterility:
The inscription on the 18c rococo choir loft is appropriate:
|
This late medieval painting of the Madonna delle Grazie has a definite scholarly tint to it. The communion chalice and host suggest theology, and the four haloed old men with their books — another guess of mine — must be, not the Evangelists, but the Doctors of the Church: Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine. |
An altar in pietre dure, that is, in finely inlaid marquetry — real, this time, although one does often see painted imitations here too — of colored stones (see a detail here). Here is where I wish I knew the story: although it all looks very decorative, the three stylized mountains at the bottom are very common in many coats of arms — with the crown above them, they spell Monte Corona of course — and the lizard just cries for an explanation. |
Images with borders lead to more information.
The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.) |
||||||
CHURCHES: |
Churches of Umbertide |
Churches of Umbria |
Churches of Italy |
|||
UP TO: |
Abbey of Montecorona |
Umbertide |
Umbria |
Italy |
Gazetteer |
Home |
A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer. See my copyright page for details and contact information. |
Page updated: 25 Mar 09