Parish Church of San Pancrazio of Montichiari
Romanic church of the V century
Pieve di San Pancrazio is one of the most ancient and best preserved Romanic monuments in Lombardy. The name Pieve comes from plebs, because it was built on the remains of a pagan temple, for the farmers of this area. The foundations were laid V-VI century a.D., and were oriented towards East, to allow worshippers to pray towards the place where the light of Christ was coming from.
It was modified several times until 1693, when the current octagonal bell tower substituted the original Romanic one.
The church is divided in tree isles divided by cross-shaped pillars and columns, some of which are topped by early Christian capitals. The frescoes decorating the isles and the apsis were made between the XIV and the XVI century by Paolo da Caylina il Giovane, Callisto Piazza (Sacra Conversazione, 1524) and by the Scuola Riminese (school of Rimini).
A famous fresco is by the triumph arch, representing San Pancrazio a Cavallo (Saint Pancras on a horse) painted by Girolamo Romanino in 1520.
The walls are made in stone from Botticino and the engravings can be dated back to Roman times (II-III century a.D.)
It was modified several times until 1693, when the current octagonal bell tower substituted the original Romanic one.
The church is divided in tree isles divided by cross-shaped pillars and columns, some of which are topped by early Christian capitals. The frescoes decorating the isles and the apsis were made between the XIV and the XVI century by Paolo da Caylina il Giovane, Callisto Piazza (Sacra Conversazione, 1524) and by the Scuola Riminese (school of Rimini).
A famous fresco is by the triumph arch, representing San Pancrazio a Cavallo (Saint Pancras on a horse) painted by Girolamo Romanino in 1520.
The walls are made in stone from Botticino and the engravings can be dated back to Roman times (II-III century a.D.)