Basilica di San Zeno
Encyclopedia
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
. Its fame rests partly on its architecture and partly upon the tradition that its crypt was the place of the marriage of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. Together with the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
which forms an annex, it is dedicated to St. Zeno of Verona
Zeno of Verona
Zeno of Verona was either an early Christian Bishop of Verona or martyr. He is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and in Eastern Orthodox Church.-Life and historicity:...
.
History
Via Gallica
The Via Gallica was an ancient road of northern Italy which connected the Roman municipia of the Pianura Padana. It started from the Via Postumia next to Verona, and connected Brescia , Bergamo and Milan , passing near the Lake Garda.In the first trait of the road in Verona, existed a Christian...
, the first small church was erected by Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, king of the Ostrogoths. The history of the present basilican and the associated Benedictine monastery begins in the 9th century,when Bishop Ratoldus and King Pepin of Italy attended the translation of the saint's relics into the new church. This edifice was damaged or destroyed by a Magyar invasion in the early 10th century, at which time Zeno's body was moved to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Matricolare: it was soon moved back to its original site in what is now the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the present church (May 21, 921).
In 967, a new Romanesque
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,...
edifice was built by Bishop Raterius, with the financial assistance of the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
.
On January 3, 1117 the church was damaged by an earthquake, and as a result was restored and enlarged in 1138. The work was completed in 1398 with the reconstruction of the roof and of the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
-style apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
.
Façade
The church of San Zeno constituted the model for all subsequent Romanesque edifices in Verona. Built of cream-coloured tuffTuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
, the facade is divided into three vertical components, the central nave surmounted by a pediment and the two aisle with sloping rooflines, all supported upon small pendented blind arcades. The intersections of the three parts are marked by angled pilasters ending in foliate capitals below the pediment.
Across the facade, at the level of the door lintel, runs a shallow arcade of paired arches, divided by thin paired colonettes identical to those found above in the wheel window. The arcade is in pink marble and must once have contrasted in colour with the stone of the facade, but this is now hardly noticeable. The facade is further divided vertically by shallow pilasters, passing visually through the colonettes and into the pediment.
The triangular pediment defines the nave and creates a striking contrast with the tuff stone of the rest of the church's façade, being of white marble divided by seven pink marble pilasters. In 1905 graffiti of a large Last Judgement were discovered on the pediment.
Central to the upper facade is a 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...
, in the shape of a Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a concept in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna, who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel - some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls...
, the work of one Brioloto, and one of the earliest examples in the Romanesque architecture of such a structure that was to become a particular feature of Gothic architecture. The outer rim of the window is decorated by six figures representing the vacillations of human life.
The porch is from the 12th century with lions at the base of its columns which are symbols of law and faith. The spandrels of the exterior arch each have a bas-relief portraying St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist while above the arch are the Lamb and the blessing hand of God.
Above the door is a lunette with scenes of the Veronese history of the time, including the Consecration of the Veronese Commune, St. Zeno stamping on the Devil, (symbol of imperial power) and St. Zeno delivering a banner to the Veronese people. Under the lunette are bas-reliefs with the Miracles of St. Zeno. The internal and external mensulae around the arch of the porch show the cycle of the months, which relate to the Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a concept in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna, who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel - some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls...
of the window above.
The portal is flanked by 18 bas-reliefs dating from the 12th century. They portray scenes from the New and Old Testament, together with episodes of the life of Theoderic: the duel with Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
and the King hunting a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, a symbol of the devil in Theoderic's Legend.
The sculptures associated with the porch, the portal itself, and those set into the wall to the right depicting scenes from the Old Testament and the Flight of Theodoric are the work of the sculptor Nicholaus and anonymous members of his workshop. Those depicting the New Testament scenes and other historical subjects to the left of the porch are by a member of Nicholaus's workshop named Gugliemus. Their signature inscriptions are located over the lunette, in the background of "The Creation of Man" and on the cornice above the sculptures on the left.
The bronze door is decorated with 48 square panels. The identities of all the figures portrayed is not known: they include St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Zeno, St. Helena, Matilda of Canossa, who had made a donation to the church's abbey, and her husband Godfrey, as well as the unknown sculptor of the work. Other panels show the three Theologic Virtues and, in the eight smallest ones, themes connected to music. As for the dating, some of the panels were made by Saxon
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
masters of Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
in the 11th century, while others are from Veronese masters (according to some scholars, including Benedetto Antelami
Benedetto Antelami
Benedetto Antelami was an Italian architect and sculptor of the Romanesque school, whose "sculptural style sprang from local north Italian traditions that can be traced back to late antiquity" Little is known about his life. He was probably originally from Lombardy, perhaps born in Val d'Intelvi...
himself).
Bell tower
The bell tower stands as a separate building. It is 72 m-high and was begun in 1045, restored in 1120 and added onto in 1178. It is stylistically Romanesque like the church, having a central vertical belt of alternating tuff and brickwork bands,It is divided in floors by cornices and small tuff arches, and rises to a double-storied bell chamber with triple mullioned windows. It is surmounted by a small conical spire with small pinnacles at each angle. The exterior is decorated by Roman sculptures. The older bells were from 1149, although only one of them remains now.
Interior
The interior of the church is on three levels with an extensive crypt on the lower level, the church proper and a raised presbytery.Crypt
The crypt dates to the 10th century, and since 921 has housed the body of St. Zeno in a sarcophagus, the face covered by a silver mask. The crypt has a nave with eight aisles the arches of which are supported by 49 columns, each having a different capital.On the entrance arches, the local sculptor Adamino da San Giorgio sculpted decoration with fanciful and monstrous animals. The crypt was restored in the 13th and 16th centuries.
Central church
The central church, known as Chiesa plebana, is of the Latin Cross shape with a nave, two aisles and transept. The aisles are divided by cruciform pilasters with alternating capitals with zoomorphic motifs and of CorinthianCorinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
style. The walls above the colonnade are polychrome
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
. The trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
-arched wooden ceiling dates from the 14th century.
Artworks in the central church include a Crucifix by Lorenzo Veneziano, a porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
cup taken from a Roman bath-house, the octagonal baptismal font of the 13th century, an altarpiece by Francesco Torbido
Francesco Torbido
Francesco Torbido was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Verona and Venice. He is also known as il Moro....
and a 13th century fresco of St. Christopher.
Presbytery
The presbytery is raised on an arcade above the crypt which thus remains visible from the nave. The presbytery is accessible by stairs in the aisles.The High Altar houses the sarcophagus of Sts. Lupicinus, Lucillus and Crescentianus, all Veronese bishops. On the left of the apse, over the sacristy's entrance, is a Crucifixion scene from the School of Altichiero
Altichiero
Altichiero da Verona , also called Aldighieri da Zevio, was an Italian painter of the Gothic style. A follower of Giotto, Altichiero is credited with founding the Veronese school...
, while in the small left apse is a red marble statue of St. Zeno of the 12th century, which is the most venerated image in Verona.
The most important artwork of the basilica is the polyptych by Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality...
, known as San Zeno Altarpiece. Only the upper paintings are original, however, since the predellas were stripped by the French in 1797 and never returned.
Church of San Procolo
Adjacent to the basilica is the church housing the remains of Saint ProculusSaint Proculus
Saint Proculus was a bishop of Verona who survived the persecutions of Diocletian. He died of natural causes at Verona.-Veneration:...
(Italian: San Procolo) who was the fourth bishop of Verona. It dates from the 6th or 7th century, being erected in the Christian necropolis across the Via Gallica. It is first mentioned however only in 845.
After the 1117 earthquake it was totally rebuilt. It houses frescoes of various ages, including a Last Supper and St. Blaise healing the Sick by Giorgio Anselmi
Giorgio Anselmi
Giorgio Anselmi was an Italian painter.Born in Verona, he studied with Antonio Balestra and worked mainly in Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia and Trentino with frescoes and oil works...
. The 12th century façade has a small narthex and two double mullioned windows. It has a single nave with a crypt, which is what remains of the original Palaeo-Christian structure. The crypt has a nave and two aisles.
The Abbey
Attached to the basilica is an abbey was erected in the 9th century over a pre-existing monastery. Of the original structure, destroyed in the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, only a large brick tower and the cloisters survive. It had originally another tower and the abbot's palace. For long time the abbey was the city's official residence of the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
s.
In 1980s a restoration discovered frescoes from the 12th–15th centuries.
See also
- San Zeno Altarpiece: by Renaissance painter Andrea MantegnaAndrea MantegnaAndrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality...
- St. Anthony's Church: architecture inspired by San Zeno.