The Church of San Pietro da Verona in Santa Anastasia, better known
as the Basilica of Santa Anastasia, is an important place of Catholic
worship located in the heart of the historical center of Verona; it is
situated in the terminal region of the decumanus maximus of the city of
Roman times, not far from the point where the wide meander of the Adige
river is crossed by the Pietra bridge, where, consequently, the city's
two main lines of communication, the road and the river, gravitate. It
is the largest, most solemn and representative church in Verona,
reflecting the lively moment of city life, in which the expansion and
strengthening of political and economic institutions allowed the
community in synergy with the Scaliger Lords, the Dominican clergy and
the Castelbarco family. , to make significant financial efforts to build
this important temple, a symbol of their power.
The church
represents the largest Gothic episode of Verona, so in the first years
after its construction it became the starting point on which the designs
of various other church buildings would be based, in particular with
regard to some of the innovations that Santa Anastasia brought to the
plan. , with the development of a large transept and the division of the
apse area into four chapels flanking the presbytery, where the main
altar is located, to a wall structure entirely in brick, and to a new
type of bell tower. The facade, except for the majestic Gothic
multi-leaf portal through which one can get into the vast interior
space, divided into three naves by monumental cylindrical columns, is
unfinished. On the sides of the two side aisles there are several
chapels and numerous altars, of which the most famous is the Fregoso
altarpiece, created by the Dane Cattaneo, also sung by Giorgio Vasari,
in addition, you can admire paintings and frescoes by famous masters of
painting. from Verona and beyond., such as Pisanello, Altichiero,
Liberale da Verona, Stefano da Zevio, Nicolo Giolfino, Giovan Francesco
Caroto, Felice Brusasorzi, Francesco Morone, Michele da Verona, Lorenzo
Veneziano.
The beginning of the events of its construction can be
attributed to 1260, when the Dominican monks, who were outside the city
walls, received land from the Bishop of Verona, Manfredo Roberti, for
the construction of a new church and a new monastery. The date of
commencement of work at a large plant is considered to be 1290, but the
construction lasted a very long time and we can say that it ended only
in the forties of the fifteenth century, although the fundamental
buildings were ready in the third decade of the last century. The
basilica was solemnly consecrated on October 22, 1471 by the Cardinal
and Bishop of Verona, Giovanni Michiel, but minor work continued for
more than two centuries, without completing the main facade. After
suppressing the Dominican order in 1807, the temple was turned over to
the secular clergy, and the nearby monastery, now abandoned, later
became the seat of the state gymnasium of the Scipione Maffei high
school.
The Basilica is also the seat of a parish that is part of
the Vicariate of Verona Centro.
It is believed that in the place where the current religious building
stands, in the Lombard era there were already two Christian churches
built according to tradition at the behest of the Ostrogothic king
Theodoric: one was dedicated to St. Remigius of Reims, and the other to
St. , whose cult spread from Constantinople to Verona around the eighth
century. The site chosen overlooked the ancient decumanus maximus of
Roman Verona, the city's extension of the Via Postumia. The oldest
record of this first building is found in a diploma dated October 2,
890, issued by King Berengar I of Italy, which mentions "ad ecclesiam
Sanctae Anastasiae" regarding the city of Verona. After this evidence,
no documents exist for a long time, and the second mention is found only
in a letter dated May 12, 1082 on a donation in favor of Anastasius,
“archpresbyter, custos et rector” of the church of St. Anastasia,
courtyard, wine press and vineyard plot in Illazi, near the church of
Santa Giustina. A subsequent decree in 1087 listed numerous possessions
that the church could boast of in the Verona area.
Sources show
that the collegiate church of monastics that served here in the 12th
century was very numerous and important, so much so that there are
several documents that speak of the priests who led them. For example,
the treaty states that a certain Bonseignore held the position of
archpriest in March 1114, and a few decades later, Pope Alexander III
issued a decree to Theobald and the clerics of Santa Anastasia in
Verona. A will drawn up on June 27, 1226, in which a certain Richerio, a
miller, left ten sous for the work "ad porticoia Sancte Anastasie",
suggests that repairs were being carried out on the building at that
time. Nothing relating to the architecture of this first building
follows from these ancient sources, except that it had a choir, that
there was a priest's house outside, and that a portico was built. Some
historians suggest that part of the wall of the Chapel of the
Crucifixion is the remains of an ancient building, but this claim
remains controversial to this day.
The arrival of the Dominican friars in Verona can be dated between
1220 and 1221, when they ministered in the church of Maria Mater Domini,
a building demolished in 1517, which was located near the washer of
Baccola, near the Porta San Giorgio. The congregation of Veronese, which
had an excellent economic position thanks to donations, built a
monastery large enough to receive the head of the order in 1244. Their
importance was such that in 1260 the Bishop of Verona, Manfredo Roberti,
decided that they should settle in the city in order to build their own
monastery and church dedicated to their brother Saint Peter of Verona,
who was martyred in 1252 and canonized by Pope Innocent IV. To this end,
one third of the one and a half thousand Verona lire received from the
sale of Maria Mater Domini to the nuns of San Cassiano was used to
purchase land around the ancient Santa Anastasia and finance the first
building works.
Although a document dated March 20, 1280, which
reads "in domo ecclesie Sante Anasasie", shows that the Dominicans were
already busy with the new project, in any case, about thirty years have
passed since the abandonment of Maria Mater Domini, because the actual
building site could start. However, it is probable that, even if the
construction of the basilica had not yet begun, in the meantime the
construction of the monastery began instead, which during the course of
the eighties took on a largely final character, modified only by a few
transformations that took place between the 14th century and the first
half of the 15th century. Thus, the complex was equipped with four
cloisters, the largest of which was also called "the abode of the dead"
because of its special purpose, and various service rooms, including
bedrooms, a refectory, a studio with a library, and a main hall.
chapter.
A large building site for the new and current basilica
began in 1290, a period that coincided with the widespread abandonment
of traditional Romanesque architecture in favor of Gothic; It was in
this style that the building was designed. By a charter of Bishop Pietro
I della Scala dated April 2, 1292, the Dominicans received a gift of
land so that the access road to the church could be widened and its
appearance cleared. In the early years, work at the factory continued
briskly, supported by numerous donations and bequests, in particular by
members of the Della Scala family, such as Alberto I, who left a
thousand Veronese lire, Cangrande II and Cansignorio. In memory of these
donations, the coat of arms of the Scaligers was painted on two sides of
the lancet triumphal arch, which gives access to the apse of the main
altar.
Guglielmo da Castelbarco, a friend of Cangrande I, is
considered by many to be an ardent patron of the construction
enterprise, so much so that in his will, dictated in Lizzan on August
13, 1319, he ordered his remains to be placed here, as well as the
organization of payment of construction costs in thousands of Veronese
lire. To the left of the current church, above the portico that once led
to the monastery, its sarcophagus still stands, probably the work of the
stonemason Rigino di Enrico. An analysis of the materials of the
building suggests that by the time of Castelbarco's death in 1320, the
apses, the main altar, the transept, the walls around the perimeter to
at least half the height of the latter were completed, and the lower
facade.
Nothing is known for sure about the identity of the
architect who designed the building. Some scholars suggest that it was
Castelbarco who conceived the structure of the work, however, more
precise and comparative studies with other buildings have revealed
parallels with the church of San Lorenzo in Vicenza and with the church
of San Nicolò in Treviso, which were assumed by the same author.
Discarding the one that identifies him as Guglielmo da Castelbarco,
various hypotheses have been put forward as to the name of the
architect: the most accredited, also supported by Carlo Cipolla, is that
which attributes the project to two friars of the Dominican order, Fra
Benvenuto da Bologna and Fra Nicola da Imola, authors of others
buildings that have much in common with the layout of Santa Anastasia,
but there are no documents on this.
In the second half of the
14th century, the decline of the Scaligerian possessions had a negative
effect on building work, causing a substantial slowdown, partly
mitigated by constant donations from private individuals, which,
however, allowed the building to be completed at the expense of the end
of the century. As soon as Verona regained political calm thanks to the
consecration of Venice, work was able to proceed more quickly: the
construction site was influenced by a papal bull, in which indulgence
was granted to all who participated in the maintenance of the factory,
and the podestas and the leader of the people obtained tax reductions
from the Venetian Senate, related to construction. Documents show that
in 1428 the works connected with the roofing of the church were in a
good stage, although it was still partly opened, and an evaluation of
the construction of the facade, which was supposed to be built of stone,
was started. On August 12 of the following year, a new papal bull
ordered the replacement of the conventional conventional Dominican
community in Santa Anastasia by the Reformed one. In 1462, Pietro da
Porlezza, cousin of the architect Michele Sanmicheli, began to oversee
the paving of the floor.
The basilica was solemnly consecrated on October 22, 1471 by the
Cardinal and Bishop of Verona, Giovanni Michiel, despite the fact that
the construction site continued for more than two centuries, during
which side chapels were added, but the facade was never completed.
Between 1491 and 1493 the master Lorenzo da Santa Cecilia created the
chairs for the new choir, and in 1498 the stained-glass windows of the
façade's central rose window and large side windows were installed.
Between 1509 and 1517, Verona, after the upheavals that followed the War
of the League of Cambrai, came under the control of the Holy Roman
Empire, and the submission ceremony to Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg
took place at Santa Anastasia. When the city returned to the
Serenissima, in 1522 the frames of the panels decorating the pilasters
of the main gate were installed, in 1533 the square in front of the
facade was paved, and on the occasion of Easter 1591, a telamon made by
Paolo Orefice was installed to support the foot.
A plaque located
in a nearby monastery commemorates the visit of Pope Pius VI, who,
returning from Vienna, where he met with Emperor Joseph II, stopped in
Verona on the evening of May 11, 1782, and then left again on the
morning of 13. On that day, in the absence of the Veronese Bishop
Giovanni Morosini, the pope was received in a Dominican monastery and,
before leaving again for Rome, he listened to mass in Santa Anastasia.
On March 19, 1807, by order of Napoleon, the Dominican order was
suppressed, ending their presence in Santa Anastasia, where they had
served for nearly five centuries. Subsequently transferred to the
diocesan clergy, it became a parish in favor of Santa Maria in Chiavik.
The same fate befell the neighboring monastery, which, after the final
closure, became the seat of the public secondary school Scipione Maffei.
Between 1878 and 1881, the building underwent an intensive cycle of
restoration work, during which the bell tower was strengthened, some of
the marbles of the front gate were replaced and the altars of the
chapels were repaired. We also started restoration of some canvases with
not always happy results. In 1967, a new restoration operation, which
lasted throughout the seventies, led to much more satisfactory results,
and in 1981 the restoration touched on the frescoes of the Lavagnoli
Chapel. Finally, in 2010, a new extensive restoration was completed, in
which the entire basilica was involved and which can be considered one
of the most important interventions ever carried out on the Veronese
monument.
The exterior of the temple is a fine example of Veronese Gothic
architecture with elements of the Renaissance. The unfinished façade is
characterized by various elements, among which stand out a large door
framed by a marble lancet arch, a central rose window and two multi-leaf
windows at the height of the naves. On the extreme sides are two
buttresses that rise beyond the line of the cornice and repeat to the
transept on both sides, where they are topped with hexagonal pinnacles
that have the function of unloading the vaults.
The side facades
are divided in height in two architectural registers, corresponding to
the wall of the side nave (lower register) and the protruding part of
the central nave (upper): the lower sector, except for the buttress with
a turret just described, is characterized by looming volumes of aisles
and high multi-leaf windows, partially closed; in the upper sector, on
the other hand, a row of eyes opens, which allow light to enter the
central nave. On the facade of the right transept there is a high
trifor, and above it is a large multi-petal Gothic rose window. On the
other hand, lancet hinged windows open in the emerging apsidal bodies,
always distinguished by powerful buttresses.
The cornice line is
decorated with lancet hanging arches, from which the roof of the
building begins, made of two-slope, overlapping the central nave,
transept and presbytery, and single-slope, overlapping the small naves,
and the central apse is covered with a five-slope four-slope roof.
To the left, looking at the façade, there is an interesting
tombstone in which Guglielmo da Castelbarco rests, located above the
arch leading to the courtyard (the current music conservatory). This is
the first example of the monumental ark known as the "canopy", which a
few years later inspired and continued the magnificent Scaliger arks
where Della Scala, princes of Verona in the 12th and 14th centuries are
buried. Behind the arch are three more high medieval arches of excellent
workmanship. Still to the left, next to Piazza Santa Anastasia, is the
Church of San Pietro Martire, used by the Dominicans during the
construction of Santa Anastasia and is currently deconsecrated.
The Dominican church has a similar structure to the Venetian basilica
of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, belonging to the same order and built almost
simultaneously. The projecting façade, unfinished and mostly brick, is
divided into three lanes corresponding to the interior naves. The
central strip is characterized in the upper part by a simple rose
window, also unfinished, with an outer round sector and an inner part
divided into six sections by a horizontal stream and two vertical posts.
The biforo portal, dating from the first half of the 15th century,
stylistically belongs to the first architecture of the Renaissance with
still strong Gothic reminiscences. The lower part is occupied by a door
divided into two sections, surmounted by two pointed arches flanked by a
Gothic portal stretched out by a series of five overlapping lancet
arches. The arches are supported by five tall and light decorative
columns made of red, white and black marble, the same colors as on the
interior floor.
The main lunette has an image of the Holy Trinity
inside with the figures of Saint Joseph and the Madonna on the sides.
The Father sits on a Gothic chair with a Crucifix between his knees, and
next to him is Christ with a dove. The figure is completed by a pair of
angels towering over the Trinity. The two smaller lunettes depict the
bishop leading the Veronians with the banner of the city, and the other
shows the holy martyr Peter leading the monks with the black-and-white
banner of the Dominicans. Both groups are on their way to Trinity
worship. These frescoes appear to be largely lost today, despite
retouching, with a not-too-successful result, during the 1881
restoration. The art historian Adolfo Venturi recognized the influence
of the school of Stefano da Zevio in these paintings, thus attributing
them to a certain student of his.
Small arches rest on the
architrave of the portal, decorated with a bas-relief with six images of
the life of Christ in chronological order: the Annunciation, the Birth
of Jesus, the Adoration of the Magi, the way to Golgotha, the
Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Two statues are located on both sides
of the architrave, in the left we recognize Saint Anastasia, and in the
right - Saint Catherine della Ruota. In the center of the architrave, on
the contrary, above an elegant column that separates the two doors and
rests on a shelf, there is a statue larger than the two on the sides,
which depicts the Virgin and Child. , from the school Venetian. The
dividing column has three high reliefs in front and on both sides.
Opposite St. Dominic with a star under his feet, on the left is the holy
martyr Peter in the act of preaching to the crowd with the sun below and
on the right is St. Thomas, looking at the moon, holding the book of
doctors of the church in his hand, instructing a young monk.
It
has been hypothesized that the portal complex could have been created,
like the floor, by Pietro da Porlezza, beginning in 1462. In support of
this, Alessandro da Lisca noted that the marble work is so connected to
the interior environment as to form a single piece, such as an advanced
terracotta body. , which, in turn, is inextricably linked with the wall
of the church itself. So the wall, the improved body and the marble
portal were produced in the fifteenth century.
To the detriment
of what should have been the original design, on the façade, or rather
on the pilaster to the right of the portal, only two marble panels are
placed, where the first shows the sermon of St. Peter the Martyr, and
the second. Of the four pillars, only the first three on the left have
two inscriptions each. The first, fourth, and sixth inscriptions refer
to miracles performed by the saints, and the fifth to martyrdom, so the
actual panels correspond to the fifth and sixth inscriptions. These
panels, with their respective frames, always dated to the 15th century
or the beginning of the next, were to form a large frame which would
keep intact the already existing portal.
Finally, on the sides of
the central hut, along the entire partition of the wall, there are two
strips, characterized by long glazed multi-leaf windows, closed from the
outside by two buttresses.
Near the left side of the transept, on top of the first apse chapel
on the left, stands an imposing bell tower, of whose history we have
little information. The 72-meter Gothic-style tower, divided into six
steps by bowstrings of white stone, has a brick pilaster shaft with
repeating decorative elements with hanging arches. The trunk of the bell
tower ends with a belfry, in which four open three-pillar windows with
round arches are open, one on each side, separated by columns with a
shaft, a pedestal and a capital of the Tuscan order. Above it is a
balustrade, consisting of small white stone columns of elegant
workmanship. From here rises, in turn, a conical spire made of
terracotta, furrowed with slender white stone ribs. The style of the
building allows it to be attributed to about the 15th century, but it is
possible that it was begun even earlier, at the same time as the apse.
We are aware of the existence of a document, now lost, drawn up on
January 15, 1433 by the notary Antonio de Cavagion (today's Cavaion
Veronese), according to which the Dominican fathers sold the house for
50 ducats, using the proceeds "in the bell tower factory". On three
small pebbles, set on the sides of the bell tower, the following
inscription is carved in letters of the 15th century: "CHRISTUS REX |
VENIT IN | PACE DEUS | ET HOMO | FATUS EST" According to the historian
Ignazio Pellegrini, it seems that in 1555 lightning struck the bell
tower, causing it A similar event occurred in the next century, in 1661,
forcing the Dominicans to accept two hundred ducats from the francation
to make amends.
The first five bells, installed in 1460, were in
the E♭ minor chord and were remade several times over the centuries. The
present concerto was cast on August 12, 1839, by the Cavadini family,
“who had their ovens at Bernard, in Contra de S. Nazar" and is executed
in C#. It also consisted of five bronzes weighing more than 45 centners
(15.61, 10.89, 7.85, 6.41 and 4.52 centners), which were tested on
September 2 of the same month and consecrated by Bishop Giuseppe Grasser
the next day. However, Cavadini took care to make an additional bell
called "sestina" weighing about 3.13 centners, which was added on May
31, 1840, to which three more bronzes were added in 1923 (2.43–2.07 and
1.42 centners). church of Santa Maria in Chiavica, bringing the complex
to nine. The Bell School of Santa Anastasia, founded in 1776, was the
main representative of the art of playing bell concerts in the Veronese
style, and the names of the masters Pietro Sancassani and Mario
Carregari are associated with it.
The interior of the church, rich in works of art, is divided into
three naves covered with cross vaults. The naves are divided by two
series of six cylindrical columns of white and red Verona marble with
Gothic capitals. Two pairs of columns behind the main altar bear the
coat of arms of Castelbarco di Avio with their ferocious lion: the
Trentino family was one of the most generous in the construction of the
building, in particular Guglielmo di Castelbarco, the former mayor of
Verona, he wanted to associate himself with the basilica by building the
previously mentioned funerary an ark on the side of Piazza Santa
Anastasia, the forerunner of the Scaligerian arks.
The plan is
organized in the form of a Latin cross, thus presenting a large transept
in front of the presbytery. The large apsidal area, in turn, is divided
into five apses, separated by Gothic pilasters stuccoed and decorated
with frescoes, ending in capitals. In the central apse is the presbytery
and the main altar, and on the sides are the noble chapels, from right
to left, the Cavalli, Pellegrini, Lavagnoli and Salerni families. The
walls of the longitudinal arm of the basilica are mostly frescoed and
decorated with altars, chapels and tombstones of the famous citizens of
Verona. As you enter, on the wall to the right of the main entrance is a
bust of Bartolomeo Lorenzi, a Veronese poet, commissioned by Ippolito
Pindemonte, Marcantonio Miniscalchi, Silvia Curtoni Verza and Beatriz
d'Este. The interior receives sunlight from large windows and rose
windows above the portal.
The floor is still original and is
believed to have been built under the direction of Pietro da Porlezza in
1462. It consists of three colors of marble: white Istrian basanite and
black basanite, which are reminiscent of the robes of Dominican monks,
and red, which reminds us that the church is dedicated to the holy
martyr Peter of Verona. The most complex parts are in the central nave
and in the transept, and right in the middle of the latter is a rose
window with a black and white radial shield in the center, the symbol of
the order. Neither in the ancient chapels nor in the vestry there are
traces of the ancient floor. Also, da Porlezza is traditionally
attributed to a bowl of red Verona marble, located at the second
entrance.
Two distinguishing elements of the interior are the
naves located near the first columns, supported by statues of two
hunchbacks with mustaches, the first with his hands on his knees and the
second with one hand on his head, in a pose of anxiety. The hunchback on
the left, placed in 1491, is attributed to Gabriele Caliari, father of
Paolo, known as Veronese, the second (also called Paschino because he
entered the basilica on Easter Sunday 1591) is considered by many to be
the work of Paolo Orefice. and is made of red Verona marble.
In
the fifth aisle of the left nave there is an organ built in 1625 in the
Baroque style, with a parapet and gilded columns. The mechanical part
was built by Giovanni Cipria from Ferrara, while the wooden part was the
work of Andrea Cudellino. Domenico Farinati restored it in 1937, reusing
the sixteenth-century hull and choir, and in 1967 it was extensively
renovated and electrified by the Padua Organaria. The instrument has a
pneumatic tubular transmission, two 61-note manuals, and a 32-note
concave-radial pedal; it has 30 real registers and two mechanical and
pedal.
The space behind the transept is divided into five apses, in which four chapels have found their place, and in the central one - the presbytery with the main altar. They are described below from right to left.
Located to the right of the apse, the Cavalli Chapel is dedicated to
Saint Jerome, but was previously dedicated to Saint Geminiano. Its first
mention comes from a document concerning a donation made by Giacomo,
Nicolò and Pietro, nobles belonging to the Cavalli family, in 1375.
executed it after his return from Padua, shortly before 1390, although
some scholars date it to 1369 on the basis of a document found in the
archives of Veronese. In the painting dedicated to the ancient feudal
lord, noble knights kneel before the throne of the Virgin in a Gothic
temple. The painted arches are decorated with the noble coat of arms of
the Cavalli family on the keystone. Beneath the fresco is the tomb of
Federico Cavalli, made of red Verona marble and decorated with a lunette
containing a work by Stefano da Zevio dating back to the first half of
the 15th century. Along the strip of the marble case there is an
inscription distributed along the three open faces as follows: «S.
NOBILIS 7 EGREGII VIRI FEDERICI . 9 EGRE | GII VIRI DNI NICOLAI DE
CAVALIS SVORVMQ . HEREDVM QVI SPIRITVM REDIDIT ASTRIS - ANO DNI M . CCC.
LXXXX | VII MENSIS SEENBRIS»
The walls are also decorated with
other frescoes: the Virgin and Child Jesus, St. Christopher and the most
valuable, the Miracle of St. Eligio di Noyon, all three attributed to
Martino da Verona, an artist who died in 1412. Fresco on the left. with
the Baptism of Jesus, attributed to Jacopino di Francesco, a Bolognese
painter from the first half of the 14th century who is considered one of
the fathers of Po Valley painting. The altarpiece is decorated with an
altarpiece painted by Liberale da Verona, set in a richly carved and
gilded frame.
The Pellegrini Chapel, located to the right of the apse, belonged to
the family of the same name, an important Veronese family that became
noble under the Della Scala dynasty. The chapel is best known for
containing what is considered Pisanello's masterpiece, San Giorgio and
the Princess, frescoes between 1433 and 1438 on the outer wall above the
entrance arch. The late Gothic artist, who worked in the court society,
evoked a fairy-tale and chivalrous world in his work with a clear and
elegant brushstroke. Also noteworthy are 24 relief terracotta panels by
Michele da Firenze and dating from 1435, which depict various scenes,
including scenes from the life of Christ, figures of saints and patron
Andrea Pellegrini.
Inside, leaning against the left wall of the
chapel, there is a marble sarcophagus, decorated with noble insignia of
the Pellegrini family, decorated with sculptures, in which Tommaso
Pellegrini, who enjoyed special favor at the Scaliger court, is buried.
On the top strip there is an inscription in one line: «SEPVLCRUM NOBILIS
VIRI. D. TOMAXII DE PEREGRINIS ET SVORVM HEREDVM QVI OBIT XVI IVNII
MCCCLXXXXII». The architectural design belongs to Antonio da Mestre, and
some of the frescoes, in particular those depicting Pellegrini kneeling
before the Virgin and Child and various saints, are attributed to
Martino da Verona. Also on the left side is the tombstone of Guglielmo
di Bibra, the German ambassador of Frederick III of Habsburg to Pope
Innocent VIII, who died in Verona in 1490, returning home after a
diplomatic mission in Rome.
The presbytery is raised by several steps compared to the rest of the
basilica and occupies the entire area of the main apse, which is
preceded by a bay window, square in plan, covered with a cross vault; on
the right wall is the Last Judgment, committed in 1492 and attributed,
with many doubts, Turone di Maxio, and on the left - a monument to
Cortesia Serego, the leader of the Scala family at that time. The main
altar dedicated to the holy martyr Peter is made of light yellow marble
and was built and consecrated in 1952; it used to be made of red stone,
which was then placed at the base of the modern altar. In the center of
the table is a simple marble tabernacle, installed on March 22, 1529,
thanks to Alessandro dal Monte, who covered the costs. Above it is a
large painted wooden crucifix.
The apse is polygonal and
illuminated by five high arched lancet windows, closed by polychrome
windows from 1935, on which St. Thomas, St. Catherine of Siena, St.
Peter the Martyr, St. Rose of Lima and Saint Dominic Guzman. The central
lancet window was temporarily closed because an altarpiece, which no
longer exists, depicting a titular saint, was placed above it. On the
triumphal arch is the coat of arms of the Della Scala family, which made
a significant contribution to the financing of the construction of the
apse.
To the left of the presbytery, which is an interesting combination of
sculpture and painting, there is a monument to Cortesia Serego. The
cenotaph consists of a central core, in which the figure of Cortesia
stands out on horseback in armor and with a command rod in her hands.
The horse and rider are placed above the sarcophagus, punctuated by
seven niches, five in front and two on the sides, all of which are
inserted into a heavy stone curtain pushed back by two soldiers. Above
the curtain we can read the weapons of the Serego family and the figure
of the Archangel Gabriel.
The monument emerges from a mirror
bounded by a flowering branch and is well integrated with other images
inserted inside a large gray frieze framing the scene, the latter
characterized by the presence of coats of arms and heads of Roman
emperors; among the images just mentioned is, in the center of an
elaborate urban environment, the Annunciation inserted into a mandorla,
where the Eternal Father finds a space surrounded by a cloud of angels,
and below are two Dominican saints. martyr Peter and Dominic crowned
with two angels with their symbols. The pedestal of the monument is a
frescoed curtain, reminiscent of a millefiori tapestry.
The son
of Cortesia Serego, Cortesia the Younger, is obliged to complete this
work, who in 1424 made a will in which he asked to be buried and
immortalized with a monument in Santa Anastasia at least as early as
1429, in a new document, he wrote that the monument was erected in
memory of his honest father. It was probably created by a Tuscan who
moved to Veneto for many years: Pietro di Niccolò Lamberti, but some
authors attribute it to Nanni di Bartolo. On the other hand, some of the
frescoes could have been painted by Michele Giambono, a Venetian artist.
The chapel is dedicated to St. Anne, although until the 15th century
it was owned by San Giovanni Evangelista. The first news goes back to
the testament dated January 19, 1480, where the canon ordered to be
buried here. Inside, leaning against the right wall, is an elegant
sarcophagus containing the remains of Angelo and Marsilio Lavagnoli,
adorned on the sides by two pretty children, supporting the noble
insignia of the Lavagnoli family, who acquired the chapel in 1480. On
the sarcophagus, an inscription is carved in Roman letters, which reads:
“ANGELO, LAVANEOLO, AVO, MARSILIOQ. / PATRI. EX. VTRIVSQ. TESTAMENTO /
ANGELVS, ET IOANNES FRES. LAVA. / F. C. M. D. LXXX". The chapel was
originally equipped with a baroque altarpiece, which has now
disappeared, as well as an altarpiece by Francesco Fabi, transferred to
the Giusti chapel.
The large-scale restoration of the complex,
carried out between 1879 and 1881, also affected this chapel: it was on
this occasion that the baroque altar that cluttered the center of the
chapel was removed, but the ancient windows were also reopened so that
light could penetrate inside. once again illuminate the interior spaces.
The restoration also made it possible to rediscover some of the frescoes
that adorned the side walls: those on the right were almost completely
destroyed so that Lavagnoli's funerary monument could be built, while
those on the left survived. This is a cycle of frescoes designed to
glorify the power of the family and depict episodes from the life of St.
John the Theologian, interspersed in the center of the left wall with
the Crucifixion and blessing and the apotheosis of St. James from the
Lavagnoli family. The latter are the work of the young Gian Maria
Falconetto (who probably painted himself), while the rest of the cycle
is by an unknown author, even if the clear provenance of the Mantegna
paintings has led us to assume the hand of Francesco Benaglio or Michele
da Verona.
The chapel was listed as his burial place in a will that Giovanni
Salerni, a member of a wealthy Veronese family, made on October 25,
1387. His father Dolcetto had already arranged his funeral penes
ecclesiam Sancte Anestaxie. Subsequently, the chapel passed to the guild
of Molinari and Mugnai, and then returned to the ownership of the
Dominican monastery. On the left is a tombstone built in a style dating
back to the end of the fourteenth century, in which the remains of
Giovanni Salerni are buried, as we learn from the funerary epigram, the
ancestor of a branch of the Veronese family and who arrived in the city
after being expelled from Pistoia. At the top of the lancet arch, the
noble coat of arms of Salerni is carved, surmounted by a helmet.
The chapel houses a series of frescoes painted between the end of the
fourteenth century and the first half of the next. On the left you can
see votive paintings made by Stefano da Zevio and on the right there are
others attributed to Bonaventure Boninsegna, Giotto's disciple,
including the Virgin among the Saints. At the end on the right there is
another votive fresco by Giovanni Badile or San Giacomo representing a
member of the Maffei family to the Virgin. This chapel was also the
subject of important restorations during the intervention of the 19th
century, when the ancient windows and wall paintings were restored,
cleaned and freed from the plaster that covered them.
Right pass
Below are the altars and chapels located in the right aisle, going from
the entrance towards the apse.
The first altar found on the right wall of the foot of the cross is
the Fregoso altar. Built in 1565, it stands where the chapel of Santa
Croce originally stood, the first site for the tomb of Giancello da
Folgaria. The famous altar dedicated to the Redeemer (therefore also
known as the "altar of the Redeemer"), built in memory of the captain of
the Venetian militia, the Genoese Giano II Fregoso, who died in 1525,
was commissioned by his son Ercole to the Carrara sculptor Danese
Cattaneo, a student of Sansovino. Some scholars have suggested that the
design and outline of the artifact was provided by Andrea Palladio, a
friend of Cattaneo, however the debate on this issue has not reached a
unanimous decision. The altar was also celebrated by Giorgio Vasari in
his most famous work, The Life. He also gives a detailed description of
the altarpiece, with special attention to the coat of arms of the
family, placed on the pediment, marked with the motto "potius mori quam
scedari" and decorated with two putti.
The configuration of the
altar resembles a triumphal arch with four free Corinthian columns.
Between the two columns on the left is a statue representing the leader
himself, and on the right is another representing military prowess. The
central statue, placed in an aedicula, depicts Christ the Redeemer, and
an inscription certifying the authorship of the Dane Cattaneo is carved
on the pedestal: “ABSOLVTVM OPVS AN DO M D LXV DANESIO CATANEO
CARRARIENSI SCVLPTORE ET ARCHITECTO”. Even higher, above the
entablature, are two other statues with allegorical subjects: Glory and
Eternity. In front of the altar, a family tomb was excavated, topped
with an oval-shaped stone, where the following epigraph was engraved in
one line: "HERCVLES FREGOSIVS IN QVO SVA POSTERORVMQ HVMANARENTVR OSSA
M. P. C." On the wall is a herm in memory of Abbot Bartolomeo Lorenzi.
The altarpiece is dedicated to Vincenzo Ferreri, one of the main
Dominican saints, and for this reason is also known as the "Ferreri
altarpiece". Its construction is associated with Gian Nicola del fu
Bartolomeo "da Manzinis", who ordered it in his will of October 15,
1482, in which he also established the construction of his tomb, to
which he assigned an annual dowry of 25 lire. The altarpiece depicting
San Vincenzo Ferrari resurrecting a child is the work of Pietro Rotari,
while the ribbon around it is the work of Pietro da Porlezza, who
undertook the task around September 1485. Around it there are frescoes
attributed to the artists of the school. Mantegna. Among the objects
depicted in the niches are Sant Andrea, the martyr of San Lorenzo and
San Tommaso d'Aquino, in the center are the faithful in prayer, and
above, in the lunette, saints surrounded by angels. In the upper part,
forming a frame around the lunette, the profiles of the Caesars and
images of biblical characters.
As we learn from the will of Gian
Nikola's widow, the altar was originally decorated with the coats of
arms of the Manzini and Maffei families and was dedicated to the Holy
Trinity. Inside is a sarcophagus by an anonymous sculptor from Corso
Francesco Maria Ornano, belonging to the Ornano family, who died in 1613
in Vicenza. In 1700, the heirs of the family gave it to the worshipers
of St. Vincent, who were then the patrons of the Rotary altarpiece. To
the right of the altar on the wall is a small monument to Vincenzo
Pisani, the podest of Verona in the second half of the 18th century,
created by Giovanni Angelo Finali and designed by Adriano Cristofali.
Also known as the "Bevilacqua-Laziz" or "Immaculate Conception"
altarpiece, it was originally dedicated to Mary Magdalene and belonged
to the Bonaveri family, along with the associated tomb, as it was built
on Pietro's testamentary legacy. Bonaveri. On August 3, 1590, it was
sold by the monastery of Ottavio and Alessandro Bevilacqua for 300
ducats, so the coat of arms of Bonaveri was replaced by that of the
Bevilacqua family. The bas-reliefs of the vault must be dated to the end
of the 15th century, and the fresco of the lunette is by Liberale da
Verona, set into an arched tympanum. The sculptural group of the altar
of the Immaculate Conception, the Immaculate Conception with Saints
Anthony of Padua and Joseph, is a work traditionally attributed to
Orazio Marinali of Bassano and brought here at the beginning of the 19th
century from the chapel of the conception in the cathedral. former
church of Santa Maria in Chiavica. The jambs and the arch are made of
marble with very fine carvings from the 16th century, possibly by Pietro
da Porlezza.
On the sides of the chapel, the walls are painted
with paintings by Liberale da Verona (c. 1490) newly discovered and
restored by the end of the 1960s. These paintings, made in the grisaille
technique, depict five figures of saints (on the left and from the
Apostle Peter, Martyr Peter, Lucia , Pavel and Dominica on the right)
and two with an unknown subject, all placed next to a lunette in
different registers, which depicts a Pieta surmounted by a large
painting by Coro degli Angeli.
Dedicated to San Martino, it was built in 1541 by Flavio Pindemonte,
as follows from the inscription on the family tombstone on the right
wall: "FLORIVS PINDEMONTIVS || NOBILITATE PRAEFVLGENS || JOANNI
VENETORVM || MILITVM DVCTORI || INCLITO AC DESIDERATO || CARISS.
FRATRIBUS || AEDEM HANC POSVIT || CVM SEPVLCRO || M D XLII".
The
altar, imitating the façade of the Arch of Gavi, a monumental Roman
architecture in Verona, was built by a stonemason whose name is known
only to Francesco. The altar is a large red marble sarcophagus in which
the Bishop of Verona Pietro della Scala was buried, on which a cross is
carved in relief. In 1828, the poet Ippolito Pindemonte was buried in
the same altar along with his relatives Fiorio and Giovanni. The
altarpiece, a late work by Giovan Francesco Caroto, dating back to 1542,
depicts San Martino giving his cloak to the poor, with the Virgin in
glory, in which one of the famous sunsets of the Veronese artist can be
discerned. Caroto was a student of Liberale da Verona, from whom he got
his formal and chromatic tendencies, but he was also influenced by
Mantegna; his brother Giovanni collaborated with the historian Torello
Sarahina on the rediscovery of the city's antiquities, which speaks of
his contribution to inspiring the stonemason to create the Roman-era
arch. On the sides, inserted into niches superimposed by an entablature,
there are two statues, San Giovanni Evangelista and San Domenico, dating
back to the 18th century. Attached to the wall is a small monument built
in honor of Isotta Nogarola.
Also known as the "Santa Rosa di Lima altarpiece", this is a baroque
altarpiece which, according to Carlo Cipolla, has little historical or
artistic significance, but has recently been re-evaluated. As can be
read on the pedestal, next to Mazzoleni's noble signs, the altarpiece
was built in 1592. On the right is the tomb, erected in 1602, of the
commissioner's family, where the brothers Giacomo, Bartolomeo and
Francesco are buried. . Initially, in the seventeenth century, it was
dedicated to Saint Raymond of Peñafort, but already in the middle of the
next century it was named after Saint Rose of Lima, beatified in 1668 by
Pope Clement IX and the first canonized saint in South America.
The altar consists of two free columns of red marble Ionic order, which
surround an aedicule surmounted by a curvilinear tympanum. It has been
suggested that the architectural design is the work of Paolo Farinati or
his workshop. The original altarpiece was that which is today in the
altarpiece of San Raimondo and was begun by Felice Brusasorzi; the
current one depicts a titled saint and is the work of the Verona artist
Giovanni Cheffis, who created it between 1668 and 1688. Behind the altar
is a reliquary consisting of a row of crystal boxes.
At the end of the right wall of the foot of the cross, just in front
of the transept, is a small chapel built with a ribbed groin vault,
accessed through a round archway. Outside, there are decorations
believed to be from the 13th century, which, according to the Veronese
historian Simeoni, however, are not the remains of an ancient church, a
position not shared by everyone. Other authors, such as Carlo Cipolla,
see in this chapel the remains of a building no later than the
thirteenth century, which had no connection with the current building,
but which they wanted to preserve anyway for unknown reasons: the former
church of Santa Anastasia. A position which, however, is not supported
by any historical or architectural evidence.
Returning inside,
the chapel has a typical 13th-century layout: in front there is an arch
and columns, which are a fine example of 15th-century Veronese
ornamental sculpture. Attention is drawn to the sculptural details, made
with great detail, depicting leaves, flowers, fruits and animals. The
sculpture of the monument is less rich in detail and goes back to an
older style closer to the style characteristic of the fourteenth
century. The sepulchral monument now on the wall once stood where the
Fregoso altar is today. A fourteenth-century inscription in Gothic
script running along the upper band of the ark reads:
"S.IOANNIS.DCTI.IANEXELLI.DNI.BERTOLDI.QUI.FVIT.FOLGARIDA.DE.CLAVICA.VERONE".
The deceased, Gianesello da Folgaria, who was buried here, wrote a will
on November 10, 1427, and on this occasion left a will in favor of the
construction of the roof of the basilica, the chapel and the altar. In
addition to the tomb of Giancello, the chapel also contains the remains
of Francesco Pellegrini, who reconstructed it in 1484.
Burial of
Christ, made of tufa by Filippo Solari, is made in the Gothic style. On
its base is a bas-relief on which eight apostles are carved. The wooden
Crucifix, hence the chapel's name, is a work of the fifteenth century,
and the altarpiece was designed by Ludovico Perini in 1719 and
commissioned by Bartolomeo Pellegrini. The baptismal font is made of
Veronese red marble.
The Centrago altarpiece (named after the family that commissioned it)
was built between 1488 and 1502 in the Renaissance style on the orders
of Cosimo Centrago, as can be read in the inscription on the
frontispiece carved on the ark: "COSMAS CENTREGVS VIVES DICAVIT". .
Dedicated to Tommaso d'Aquino, it is located in front of the sacristy,
on the right wall of the transept. To do this, we had to block part of
the large window in the middle of the cruise. Its construction can most
likely be dated to around the end of the fifteenth century, when an
already existing altar was enlarged. During the restorations of
1879-1881, the large window was partly reopened by demolishing, as far
as possible, the wall that covered it at the top. The altarpiece,
Madonna and Child, Saint Thomas Aquino, Saint Augustine and the donors
Cosimo Centrago and Orsolina Cipolla, was painted in 1512 by the young
Girolamo dai Libri. The altarpiece is inserted into a round arch bounded
by pairs of columns standing on a pillar.
Left pass
The altars
and chapels located in the left nave are listed below, going from the
entrance towards the apse.
The Boldieri Chapel, also known as the "altarpiece of San Pietro
Martire", dates back to the middle of the fifteenth century and is the
first chapel you will encounter to the left of the foot of the cross
when entering through the main entrance. It was built by order of the
noble Gerardo Boldieri, belonging to the district of Santa Maria in
Chiavica, who ordered to be buried here. His burial ark was placed to
the left of the altar. Under the cenotaph is a tablet with an epigraph.
The chapel is characterized by a large niche bounded by a triumphal
arch and richly decorated pilasters. Inside a large niche is a
17th-century altar surmounted by a plastic altar in two orders, in
which, in the lower left, there are statues of San Sebastiano, San
Pietro Martire and San Rocco, and in the upper, the Madonna and Child.
On the sides of the pilasters there are six more niches (three on each
side), in which there are statues of saints, or rather, on the right,
starting from the bottom, San Vincenzo, San Giovanni Battista, San
Cristoforo, and on the left San Domenico, San Francesco, Sant Antonio
Abate . Above the chapel is an entablature adorned with a frieze, on
which are placed three other statues, flanked by two angels holding a
shield, and in the center a wooden crucifix flanked by the Madonna and
St. John, this time painted, all surmounted by a canopy, also painted.
In the cup there is a fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin.
Built in 1520 by Bonsignorio Faella, it was originally dedicated to Saint George and today the titular saint is Erasmus of Formia, a fourth-century Christian martyr. The building material is marble, mostly white, but also with red and black accents. On the architrave, the following epigraph is carved in Roman characters in two lines: “DIVO HERASMO BONSIGNORIUS FAELLA ET GEORGIVS || NEPOS EX FRATRVM TEST ET SVA PECVNIA P". On the friezes of the cornices of the columns is carved (half on the left, half on the right) another inscription, by which it was possible to determine the year the altar was erected: “AERE SVO MDXX. || BONSIGMORIVS. The noble coat of arms of the noble Faella family was carved into the cubes of the pedestals of the outer columns, along with their motto "incertum certius" ("nothing is more certain than the indefinite"). An altarpiece of great value, painted by Nicolò Giolfino, represents Saints George and Erasmo. On the wall is the tomb of the mathematician and writer Veronese Giuseppe Torelli, designed by Michelangelo Castellazzi and created by Francesco Zoppi.
Formerly named after the martyr Saint Vincent, the altar was later dedicated to Saint Raymond of Peñafort, a Dominican saint. The altarpiece placed here was started by Felice Brusasorzi and then finished by his student Alessandro Turchi; two artists depicted the Virgin with Saints Philip, James, Francis and Raimondo. On the right side of the altar, in front of the Miniscalchi altar, is the tomb of the mathematician Pietro Cossali, designed by Giuseppe Barbieri and created by the sculptor Antonio Spazzi. On the left, still mounted on the wall, is the funerary monument to the Veronese physician Leonardo Targa, also created by Antonio Spazzi and designed by Luigi Trezza.
Also known as the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, it belonged to the
Miniscalchi family, originally from Lombardy and who arrived in Verona
during the Visconti years, between the 14th and 15th centuries. The
construction of the altar dates from 1436 and was carried out according
to a project attributed to Pietro da Porlezza, and the executor of the
materials was a certain Mastro Agnolo; the historian Luigi Simeoni
speaks of it as a "beautiful work of the Renaissance." The altarpiece
depicting the Descent of the Holy Spirit is by Nicolo Giolfino, who
signed and dated it 1518. In the predella there is a painting of
"Sermon" by St. Vincent Ferrer, also by Giolfino, and in the basin of
the apse, where the Pentecost is depicted, it is the work of Francesco
Morone with the help of Paolo Morando (the latter is also known as "Il
Cavazzola"). On the left is the tomb of Zanino Miniscalchi, progenitor
of a branch of the Veronese family; the inscription is made in Gothic
type and placed under the family coat of arms.
On the sides,
inserted between columns with Corinthian capitals, there are six niches
(three on each side), each of which contains statues depicting Saints
Sebastiano, Francesco, Giovanni Battista, Girolamo, Vincenzo Ferrer,
Giovanni the Evangelista. At the top, in two lateral aedicules, there
are statues of Saints Peter and Paul, and in the central and tympanal
ones there is a blessing Christ. Before the construction of the floor,
there was a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The Liber Possessionum
records a gift made by "pro dote altaris Trinitatis".
The Chapel of the Rosary was rebuilt starting in 1585 to celebrate
the victory of Lepanto in 1571, in which the city of Verona participated
with three companies of soldiers. The name is associated with the
establishment of the "Society of the Rosary", a congregation created
specifically for the purpose of honoring the victory and undertaking to
build a chapel. As can be seen from the inscription placed on the inner
facade of the door, the work for the chapel was completed in 1596 in
relation to the walls, and the completion of the marble cladding was
completed only in 1607. The project is attributed to the architect.
Domenico Curtoni, nephew and student of the Veronese architect Michele
Sanmicheli, who conceived the work in a typical 16th-century style with
some baroque additions, although intervention by other designers was
suggested. The chapel is accessed through an Ionic arch with a frieze
covered in spirals.
The Madonna of Humility is inserted into the
altarpiece above the altar with the Holy Martyrs Peter and Dominic and
those offering sacrifices. The painting is unanimously attributed by
critics of the second half of the 20th century to Lorenzo Veneziano, an
artist active in Verona in the second half of the 14th century. The
maiden in the center probably represents the first example of the
dissemination of this object also in the Veneto region, here it fell
into disrepair, and not in the more modest and "domestic" version
typical of its leader Simone Martini and his followers, in the version
of the "majestic woman ”was first experienced by Bartolomeo da Camogli:
although the lactans sit on the ground, it actually appears surrounded
by golden monochrome angels that stand out against a red background.
Although the two saints are easily identified by the writings and their
attributes that are compared, the two donors are traditionally
considered to be the two reigning consorts of the Scaligers; depending
on the interpretation, they could be identified in Mastino II della
Scala and Taddea da Carrara, or in Cangrande II della Scala and his wife
Elisabeth of Bavaria. Composed in imitation of a triptych, it was
originally, very likely, standing against the background of the
demolished choir pontoon of the church. The invocation of Mary appears
along four edges framed in false scalloped molding, the latter
unfortunately partly sacrificed due to the folding of the canvas to
accommodate the new altarpiece. The work, already considered a separate
fresco and transferred to canvas, was confirmed by the 2003 restoration,
as it was originally painted in tempera on linen, an apparently rare
example of this technique in the fourteenth century.
On the left
wall of the chapel is an oil canvas from the first half of the 17th
century depicting Christ praying in the garden by Pietro Bernardi. On
the right wall is the Flagellation of Christ, created in 1619 by Claudio
Ridolfi. The altar consists of two groups, in turn formed by four
composite columns, and on it is placed the tabernacle. The lunette of
the altar is decorated with the image of Marcantonio Vassetti "The
Coronation of the Virgin". On the frames, Giovan Battista Rossi painted
the Displacement in the 18th century, while the Annunciation and the
Adoration of the Shepherds are respectively attributed to Dario Pozzo
and Biagio Falchieri. The dome is decorated with paintings by
Marcantonio Bassetti depicting the Assumption and the Trinity. On the
sides of the altar are two marble statues by Gabriele Brunelli, Faith
and Prayer (left and right respectively). On the interior balustrade,
built between 1627 and 1634, there are four statues depicting little
angels, created by Pietro da Carniola.
On the left wall of the transept, a door opens leading to the
sacristy, built in 1453 by the Giusti family to house their own funerary
chapel, which found its place at the back of the room. In front of the
entrance, on the inner wall of the church, you can see frescoes
attributed to Boninsegna and three canvases in which Santa Cecilia, the
Miracle of San Giacinto and the Deposition and San Paolo, San Dionigi,
Maddalena and Devoti are represented, respectively, by the Turks.
Farinati and Morone. After passing through the door, above it there is
an inscription in Roman letters, reminiscent of the construction of the
sacristy. Also on the door is a large painting depicting the Cathedral
of Trent by Biagio Falchieri, a 17th century painter.
The chapel
and the altar were restored after more than a century and a half, so
that nothing remains of the original appearance. However, we know,
thanks to the will of Roberto Giusti of July 15, 1644, that from the
very beginning the titular saint was Saint Vincent Ferreri. On the
frontispiece of the altar there is a brief dedicatory inscription: “DEO
|| B. MARIÆ VIR || AC VINCENTIO. A large plaque on the right wall at the
entrance commemorates the reconstruction of the altar, which took place
in 1598. The altar was created by Felice Brusasorzi and some of the
saints are depicted together with the Virgin and Saint Vincent. On the
ground, in the center of the chapel, is a 16th-century triple tomb, in
which each of the three stones is adorned with the coat of arms of the
Giusti family, which also appears, painted or sculpted, in many other
places in the sacristy. In the center of the sacristy is another burial
from 1793. The two large windows, which are still well preserved, thanks
also to the restoration carried out in 1969, are of great value as they
date back to about 1460, making them the oldest of them. can be found in
Verona. They are characterized by white, green and red colors, simple
decorations and the absence of figures.