Rating
4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
TheMax1075 (11 months ago)
Near the place where the church of San Lanfranco is located, there was a church dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre, founded in 1090. A new church of the Holy Sepulcher was built around the second decade of the 12th century, as remembered in the writings of Bernardo da Pavia , it stood in an area close to Ticino, surrounded by woods, called Valvernasca. Its construction was the work of the Vallombrosani, a community of Benedictine monks founded between 1012 and 1015 by Giovanni Gualberto of the Florentine Visdomini family. It was part of the Vallombrosan tradition and spirit to choose isolated places but close to important centres, to encourage meditation and, at the same time, preaching. The church was therefore located outside the city, but along a road traveled by travelers and pilgrims who could find hospitality in the monastery's hospitium. There is little information relating to the first years of life of the monastery, whose existence has been documented since 1123. The most significant period coincided with the years in which Lanfranco Beccari (born in 1124 and died in 1198) was bishop of Pavia. Lanfranco, consecrated bishop of Pavia by Pope Alexander III in 1180[4], was often a guest of the monastery. During his life Lanfranc fought against the local civil authorities who wanted to appropriate some ecclesiastical assets. For this reason he was forced to leave Pavia and go to Rome to find comfort and support in the Pope. Lanfranco decided to spend the last years of his life in the monastery and was buried here, with a reputation for sanctity. After his death on 23 June 1198, the church was dedicated to him. In 1236 the church was consecrated by the bishop of Pavia, Rodobaldo Cipolla, who died in 1254 and was later declared a saint. His relics are preserved in the cathedral of Pavia. The bell tower was built in 1237. The façade was completed in 1257. In the 12th and 13th centuries the monastery's properties were mainly concentrated in San Marzano, near Castel San Giovanni. In 1356 Galeazzo II Visconti had his troops stationed in the monastery of San Lanfranco to besiege Pavia and here he had a bastita built, later taken by the people of Pavia, connected, via a bridge over the Ticino, to a similar fortification located along the Gravellone canal. During 1476, commissioned by Abbot Luca Zanachi from Parma, the small cloister was rebuilt thanks to the architect Giovanni Antonio Amadeo. In 1480 Abbot Zanachi died under mysterious circumstances. Between the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s, many monasteries in Pavia had to accept the commenda regime, according to which the effective government of the monastery is separated from its ownership. This regime gave a strong impetus to the life of the monastery. The Marquis Pietro Pallavicini de' Scipione, commendatory abbot, removed the corrupt monks and renovated the monastery for the use of the remaining brothers and built a second courtyard to the east of the first. He then promoted the financing for the construction of the ark of San Lanfranco and the reconstruction of the presbytery in Renaissance forms (finished around 1509), to give the ark itself a correct location. In October 1524, Francis I, King of France, when laying siege to the imperial forces of Emperor Charles V barricaded in Pavia, chose to place his headquarters in the monastery. During the Battle of Pavia the monastery was the scene of clashes and had to suffer damage from a fire. In 1576 the monastery, of which Cardinal Albani was the commendator, was the subject of the apostolic visit of Monsignor Angelo Peruzzi from Bologna, on behalf of Bishop Ippolito De' Rossi. In the visit report the church appears to be in good condition. Maintenance works were carried out during the seventeenth century, in particular the southern wing of the complex was demolished due to problems with the infiltration of the waters of the Ticino. The bays were instead equipped with baroque windows, replacing Romanesque single-lancet windows.
Near the place where the church of San Lanfranco is located, there was a church dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre, founded in 1090. A new church of the Holy Sepulcher was built around the second decade of the 12th century, as remembered in the writings of Bernardo da Pavia , it stood in an area close to Ticino, surrounded by woods, called Valvernasca. Its construction was the work of the Vallombrosani, a community of Benedictine monks founded between 1012 and 1015 by Giovanni Gualberto of the Florentine Visdomini family. It was part of the Vallombrosan tradition and spirit to choose isolated places but close to important centres, to encourage meditation and, at the same time, preaching. The church was therefore located outside the city, but along a road traveled by travelers and pilgrims who could find hospitality in the monastery's hospitium. There is little information relating to the first years of life of the monastery, whose existence has been documented since 1123. The most significant period coincided with the years in which Lanfranco Beccari (born in 1124 and died in 1198) was bishop of Pavia. Lanfranco, consecrated bishop of Pavia by Pope Alexander III in 1180[4], was often a guest of the monastery. During his life Lanfranc fought against the local civil authorities who wanted to appropriate some ecclesiastical assets. For this reason he was forced to leave Pavia and go to Rome to find comfort and support in the Pope. Lanfranco decided to spend the last years of his life in the monastery and was buried here, with a reputation for sanctity. After his death on 23 June 1198, the church was dedicated to him. In 1236 the church was consecrated by the bishop of Pavia, Rodobaldo Cipolla, who died in 1254 and was later declared a saint. His relics are preserved in the cathedral of Pavia. The bell tower was built in 1237. The façade was completed in 1257. In the 12th and 13th centuries the monastery's properties were mainly concentrated in San Marzano, near Castel San Giovanni. In 1356 Galeazzo II Visconti had his troops stationed in the monastery of San Lanfranco to besiege Pavia and here he had a bastita built, later taken by the people of Pavia, connected, via a bridge over the Ticino, to a similar fortification located along the Gravellone canal. During 1476, commissioned by Abbot Luca Zanachi from Parma, the small cloister was rebuilt thanks to the architect Giovanni Antonio Amadeo. In 1480 Abbot Zanachi died under mysterious circumstances. Between the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s, many monasteries in Pavia had to accept the commenda regime, according to which the effective government of the monastery is separated from its ownership. This regime gave a strong impetus to the life of the monastery. The Marquis Pietro Pallavicini de' Scipione, commendatory abbot, removed the corrupt monks and renovated the monastery for the use of the remaining brothers and built a second courtyard to the east of the first. He then promoted the financing for the construction of the ark of San Lanfranco and the reconstruction of the presbytery in Renaissance forms (finished around 1509), to give the ark itself a correct location. In October 1524, Francis I, King of France, when laying siege to the imperial forces of Emperor Charles V barricaded in Pavia, chose to place his headquarters in the monastery. During the Battle of Pavia the monastery was the scene of clashes and had to suffer damage from a fire. In 1576 the monastery, of which Cardinal Albani was the commendator, was the subject of the apostolic visit of Monsignor Angelo Peruzzi from Bologna, on behalf of Bishop Ippolito De' Rossi. In the visit report the church appears to be in good condition. Maintenance works were carried out during the seventeenth century, in particular the southern wing of the complex was demolished due to problems with the infiltration of the waters of the Ticino. The bays were instead equipped with baroque windows, replacing Romanesque single-lancet windows.
Ugo Diamante (17 months ago)
Beautiful complex that dates back to the 11th century. It appears today in Romanesque style, as it was rebuilt in 1200
Beautiful complex that dates back to the 11th century. It appears today in Romanesque style, as it was rebuilt in 1200
Stefano Masnaghetti (21 months ago)
San Lanfranco is a beautiful example of Pavia Romanesque art. Its foundation dates back to around 1090, when the church was part of a Vallombrosian monastery and its dedication was still to the Holy Sepulchre. The current dedication was given only after the death of Bishop Lanfranco Beccari, which took place in 1198. The church was also rebuilt in its current form: 1237 saw the erection of the bell tower, while the gabled façade, concluded by sawtooth decorations which surmount intertwined hanging arches, was completed in 1257 in imitation of that of the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore, like all the Romanesque churches of Pavia. The single nave interior, on the other hand, is detached from the city model and follows Vallombrosian canons. The apse area was rebuilt at the beginning of the sixteenth century in Renaissance style, and houses the stupendous Ark of San Lanfranco, a sculptural masterpiece by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (1447 - 1522), built in 1498. The nave, on the other hand, has retained typically Romanesque features, and its right side preserves some notable remains of thirteenth-century frescoes, including the depiction of the assassination of St. Thomas Becket.
San Lanfranco is a beautiful example of Pavia Romanesque art. Its foundation dates back to around 1090, when the church was part of a Vallombrosian monastery and its dedication was still to the Holy Sepulchre. The current dedication was given only after the death of Bishop Lanfranco Beccari, which took place in 1198. The church was also rebuilt in its current form: 1237 saw the erection of the bell tower, while the gabled façade, concluded by sawtooth decorations which surmount intertwined hanging arches, was completed in 1257 in imitation of that of the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore, like all the Romanesque churches of Pavia. The single nave interior, on the other hand, is detached from the city model and follows Vallombrosian canons. The apse area was rebuilt at the beginning of the sixteenth century in Renaissance style, and houses the stupendous Ark of San Lanfranco, a sculptural masterpiece by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (1447 - 1522), built in 1498. The nave, on the other hand, has retained typically Romanesque features, and its right side preserves some notable remains of thirteenth-century frescoes, including the depiction of the assassination of St. Thomas Becket.
Neomar Mignoni (21 months ago)
Basilica of San Lanfranco of Pavia. It's a very interesting place. You can see the church, the cloister of the monastery, and the exterior of the church and monastery. There are also guided tours on Sundays.
Basilica of San Lanfranco of Pavia. It's a very interesting place. You can see the church, the cloister of the monastery, and the exterior of the church and monastery. There are also guided tours on Sundays.
MARIA BIANCHI (22 months ago)
The Church is very beautiful, I attend Sunday Mass at 5.30pm, the environment is welcoming and everyone is available
The Church is very beautiful, I attend Sunday Mass at 5.30pm, the environment is welcoming and everyone is available
