Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle

Last updated
Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle, also known as Tempietto longobardo Cividale 0904 Tempietto Longobardo.jpg
Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle, also known as Tempietto longobardo

The Oratorio di Santa Maria, or Oratory of Santa Maria, previously called the Tempietto longobardo, is located in Valle on the north-eastern frontier at Cividale del Friuli in the province of Udine. [1] It was erected in the 8th century under the rule of a Germanic people called the Lombards who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. This is the most important and best preserved example of Lombard architecture, which resembles styles found in Ottonian, Roman, Lombardy and Carolingian art. Included within the temple and chapel are decorated frescoes and high relief sculptures of saints in stucco.

Contents

History

The Tempietto longobardo. Cividale, tempietto longobardo 01.JPG
The Tempietto longobardo.

The small structure was likely begun as a part of the Gastaldaga area and Episcopal complex at Cividale del Friuli next to the Natisone river.

It stands as one of the few architectural examples of a positive relationship between Europe and Arab-Muslim countries, which is apparent by the techniques utilized and the stucco decorations, [2] probably initiated by Aistulf, Duke of Friuli and King of the Lombards, and used as a Palatine Chapel for Lombard Dukes and the king's functionaries. Although started much earlier, many of the decorations, statues and stuccos might have been constructed as late as the 11th and 12th centuries and includes Byzantine motifs.

It is a part of the seven architectural, pictorial and sculptural sites within the Longobards in Italy: Places of Power (568–774 A.D.) and received a UNESCO Cultural heritage designation.

Interior

Stucco figures of female saints Cividale tempietto3.JPG
Stucco figures of female saints

The exterior is rather plain, but the interior is a complex 3 to 5 ratio composed of a square-plan, single chamber, with a spacious cross-vault, divided by pairs of columns in three parts covered in barrel vaults, which closes with a lower presbytery. [3]

The changes in power create a very significant collision between artists styles and genres; the space is dense with rich decoration that was important for both secular and contemporary ecclesiastical interiors and is made with sophisticated materials. The view of the entrance wall is covered with stuccos and fresco wall-paintings that depict the Blessing of Christ amongst the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and other male saints. The walls are filled in with various floral stucco decorations done in high-relief. There are bi-colored floors, marble wall revetments, mosaics and sculptures done in stone. The most curious aspect however is the frieze which includes six remaining important stucco figures of unidentified women that were potentially saints or royal patrons. The figures are stylized, richly decorated with dramatic folds in their garments and slightly elongated which is reminiscent of Byzantine models. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cividale del Friuli</span> Comune in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

Cividale del Friuli is a town and comune in the Province of Udine, part of the North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia regione. The town lies 135 metres (443 ft) above sea-level in the foothills of the eastern Alps, 15 kilometres (9 mi) by rail from the city of Udine and close to the Slovenian border. It is situated on the river Natisone, which forms a picturesque ravine here. Formerly an important regional power, it is today a quiet, small town that attracts tourists thanks to its medieval center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria del Popolo</span> Church in Rome, Italy

The Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is a titular church and a minor basilica in Rome run by the Augustinian order. It stands on the north side of Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The church is hemmed in between the Pincian Hill and Porta del Popolo, one of the gates in the Aurelian Wall as well as the starting point of Via Flaminia, the most important route from the north. Its location made the basilica the first church for the majority of travellers entering the city. The church contains works by several famous artists, such as Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanesque art</span> Artistic style of Europe from 1000 AD to the 13c

Romanesque art is the art of Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 12th century, or later depending on region. The preceding period is known as the Pre-Romanesque period. The term was invented by 19th-century art historians, especially for Romanesque architecture, which retained many basic features of Roman architectural style – most notably round-headed arches, but also barrel vaults, apses, and acanthus-leaf decoration – but had also developed many very different characteristics. In Southern France, Spain, and Italy there was an architectural continuity with the Late Antique, but the Romanesque style was the first style to spread across the whole of Catholic Europe, from Sicily to Scandinavia. Romanesque art was also greatly influenced by Byzantine art, especially in painting, and by the anti-classical energy of the decoration of the Insular art of the British Isles. From these elements was forged a highly innovative and coherent style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pietro in Montorio</span> Church in Rome, Italy

San Pietro in Montorio is a church in Rome, Italy, which includes in its courtyard the Tempietto, a small commemorative martyrium (tomb) built by Donato Bramante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certosa di Pavia</span> Monastery and complex in Lombardy, Italy

The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, Northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Pavia. Built in 1396–1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting park belonging to the Visconti family of Milan, of which today only scattered parts remain. It is one of the largest monasteries in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria in Vallicella</span> Church in Rome, Italy

Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the corner of Via della Chiesa Nuova. It is the principal church of the Oratorians, a religious congregation of secular priests, founded by St Philip Neri in 1561 at a time in the 16th century when the Counter Reformation saw the emergence of a number of new religious organisations such as the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Theatines and the Barnabites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santi Luca e Martina</span> Church in Rome, Italy

Santi Luca e Martina is a church in Rome, Italy, situated between the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar and close to the Arch of Septimus Severus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Friuli</span>

The Duchy of Friuli was a Lombard duchy in present-day Friuli, the first to be established after the conquest of the Italian peninsula in 568. It was one of the largest domains in Langobardia Major and an important buffer between the Lombard kingdom and the Slavs, Avars, and the Byzantine Empire. The original chief city in the province was Roman Aquileia, but the Lombard capital of Friuli was Forum Julii, modern Cividale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duomo of Monza</span> Religious building in Monza, Italy

The Duomo of Monza, often known in English as Monza Cathedral, is the main religious building of Monza, Italy. Unlike most duomos, it is not in fact a cathedral, as Monza has always been part of the Diocese of Milan, but is in the charge of an archpriest who has the right to certain episcopal vestments including the mitre and the ring. The church is also known as the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista from its dedication to John the Baptist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Salvatore, Brescia</span> Museum and former monastery in Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy

San Salvatore is a former monastery in Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy, now turned into a museum. The monastic complex is famous for the diversity of its architecture which includes Roman remains and significant pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Renaissance buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria del Carmine, Pavia</span> Church in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy, of Lombard Gothic architecture

Santa Maria del Carmine is a church in Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, considered amongst the best examples of Lombard Gothic architecture. It was begun in 1374 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, on a project attributed to Bernardo da Venezia. The construction followed a slow pace, and was restarted in 1432, being finished in 1461.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Clitumnus</span> Medieval church in Campello sul Clitunno, Italy

The so-called Temple of Clitumnus is a small early medieval church that sits along the banks of the Clitunno river in the town of Pissignano near Campello sul Clitunno between Spoleto and Trevi, Umbria, Italy. In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven such sites that mark the presence of Longobards in Italy: Places of Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa</span>

The Palazzo Grimani of Santa Maria Formosa is a State museum, located in Venice in the Castello district, near Campo Santa Maria Formosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria in Strada, Monza</span>

Santa Maria in Strada is a church in Monza, Lombardy, northern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombard architecture</span>

Lombard architecture refers to the architecture of the Kingdom of the Lombards, which lasted from 568 to 774 and which was commissioned by Lombard kings and dukes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longobards in Italy: Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy

Longobards in Italy: Places of Power is seven groups of historic buildings that reflect the achievements of the Germanic tribe of the Lombards, who settled in Italy during the sixth century and established a Lombard Kingdom which ended in 774 A.D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbey of Santa Maria in Sylvis</span>

The Abbey of Santa Maria in Sylvis is a monastery in the centre of Sesto al Reghena, in the province of Pordenone, north-eastern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodoli Chapel (Santa Maria del Popolo)</span>

The Theodoli Chapel or Chapel of Saint Catherine «del Calice» in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome is an important monument of Roman Mannerism. Although less known than some of the other side chapels of the same church it is a major work in the oeuvre of Giulio Mazzoni. The chapel opens at the end of the left arm of the transept next to the famous Cerasi Chapel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratory of San Pellegrino</span> Church in Bominaco , Italy

Oratorio di San Pellegrino is a medieval oratory in the village of Bominaco, in the municipality of Caporciano in the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo). The interior walls of the church are entirely covered in frescoes that represent a historical testimony of medieval Abruzzo. In 1902, the oratory was declared a national monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of San Salvatore, Spoleto</span>

San Salvatore is a romanesque-style, former basilica church located in the center of Spoleto, Province of Perugia, region of Umbria, Italy.

References

  1. Nees, Lawrence (2002). Early medieval art. Oxford University Press. p. 174. ISBN   978-0-19-284243-5.
  2. "The Lombard Temple in Cividale Del Friuli: Proof of Dialog". Italian Ways. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  3. The Tempietto Longobardo. "The Tempietto Longobardo – Oratory of Santa Maria in Valle". Italia Langobardum. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. Kiilierich, Bente (January 2010). "The Rhetoric of Materials in the Tempietto Longobardo at Cividale". L'VIII Secolo: Un Secolo Inquieto: 93–99. Retrieved 4 December 2018.