Abbey of San Mercuriale, Forlì
Encyclopedia
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
, in Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
(northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
); the rather smaller cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
was largely destroyed by fire in the 19th century.
History and overview
A first church was built here in the 4th century, dedicated to St. Stephen. It was destroyed by a fire in 1173. The dedication to Saint MercurialisSaint Mercurialis
Mercurialis was the Christian bishop of Forlì, in Romagna. The historical figure known as Mercurialis attended the Council of Rimini in 359 and died around 406. He was a zealous opponent of paganism and Arianism....
, the local martyr and patron, had appeared in the 9th century. In 1176 the edifice was assigned to the Vallumbrosan Order
Vallumbrosan Order
The Vallumbrosan Order is a Roman Catholic religious order, technically a Benedictine congregation, which derives its name from the motherhouse, Vallombrosa , situated c...
.
The current edifice was finished in 1180 in Lombard-Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
, along with the famous bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. The latter, with its height of 75 m, is one of the tallest in Italy. In the 13th century it was considered one of the marvels of the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (medieval)
The Kingdom of Italy was a political entity under control of Carolingian dynasty of Francia first, after the defeat of the Lombards in 774. It was finally incorporated as a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 962....
.
The abbey, which once was located outside the ancient Roman city, was included in a new line of walls in that period. In the 15th century the Vallumbrosans' cloister was annexed to the construction: it has a rectangular shape and is decorated by slender columns, with a central well that can still be seen.
The apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
of the church was rebuilt in 1585. Of the same period is also the wooden choir, designed by Alessandro Bigni from Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
. The façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and the bell tower are in brickwork
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
. The former is decorated with arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
s supported by columns. The magnificent rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
over the main portal portrays the Epiphany with Dream and Adoration of the Magi, and is attributed to the so-called Master of the Months, who was active also in the cathedral of Ferrara
Ferrara Cathedral
Ferrara Cathedral is a basilica in Ferrara, Northern Italy, the largest religious edifice in the city...
.
The interior houses numerous works of art. The most famous is the Sepulchre of Barbara Manfredi
Barbara Manfredi
Barbara Manfredi was the wife of Pino III Ordelaffi, lord of Forlì .She was born in Faenza, current Emilia-Romagna, to Astorre II Manfredi, seignior of that city. At the age seven she was bethrothed to the powerful Pino III Ordelaffi, who married her in 1462.The following year Pino became ill...
, the young wife of Pino III Ordelaffi
Pino III Ordelaffi
Pino III Ordelaffi was an Italian condottiero and lord of Forlì. He was a member of the Ordelaffi family.The son of Antonio I Ordelaffi, he was the brother of Francesco IV Ordelaffi, lord of Forlì from 1448...
, lord of Forlì. It was carved by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci from Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
. The sepulchre was once housed in the church of San Biagio, which was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Other points of interest include:
- Ferri Chapel, with an arcade in IstriaIstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n stone by Jacopo Bianchi from UlcinjUlcinjUlcinj is a coastal resort town and municipality in Montenegro. The town of Ulcinj has a population of 10,828 of which the majority are Albanians...
, with fine decorations and grottesche in Lombard style. - Paintings by Marco PalmezzanoMarco PalmezzanoMarco Palmezzano was an Italian painter and architect, belonging to the Forlì painting school, who painted in a style recalling earlier Northern Renaissance models, and was mostly active near Forlì.-Biography:...
portraying: Madonna Enthroned with Saints John the Evangelist and Catherine of Alexandria, Crucifix with St John Gualbertus and the Magdalene and the Madonna with Saints Anselm, Augustine and Stephen, one of his finest works. - Mercuriali Chapel, with stuccoes and frescoes by Antonio TempestaAntonio TempestaAntonio Tempesta was an Italian painter and engraver, a point of connection between Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp. He was born and trained in Florence and painted in a variety of styles, influenced to some degree by "Contra-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism...
and others. It houses works by Domenico PassignanoDomenico PassignanoDomenico Passignano , born Cresti or Crespi, was an Italian painter of a late-Renaissance or Contra-Maniera style that emerged in Florence towards the end of the 16th century.- Biography :...
, Ludovico Cigoli, Baldassarre Carrari, Santi di TitoSanti di TitoSanti di Tito was an Italian painter of Late-Mannerist or proto-Baroque style, what is sometimes referred to as Contra-Maniera or Counter-Mannerism.-Biography:...
and Francesco MenzocchiFrancesco MenzocchiFrancesco Menzocchi was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerist period, belonging to the Forlì painting school and active mainly in Forlì and Pesaro....
. The construction of the chapel was promoted by eminent physician Girolamo Mercuriali, with his son Massimiliano, to honour the Saints Girolamo and Mercuriale. The chapel was finished in 1606, the same year of the death of Mercuriali who wanted to be buried in it . - Sacrament Chapel