Crouching men – this one appearing to wear spectacles – squat facing each other on either side of the central rose window of the 1100s AD Romanesque portal of the former Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata (Church of Saints John and Reparata) in Piazza San Giovanni at Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The richly carved doorway survived the rebuilding of the facade in 1589.
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy: crouching male figures – this one appearing to wear spectacles – squat on either side of the central rose window above the lintel of the 1187 AD Romanesque portal of the former Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata (Church of Saints John and Reparata) in Piazza San Giovanni. The doorway survived the rebuilding of the facade in Renaissance style in 1589. The lintel bears sculpted standing figures of St Mary, angels and the apostles and the portal also features carved capitals depicting two kings of Israel: David and Saul. Above the portal, two imposing projecting lions fight one another, while a third lion battles a dragon. The portal’s vibrant carvings are linked stylistically to the circle of Lombard master sculptor Guido or Guidetto di Bonagiunta Bigarelli, known as Guido da Como (1220 - c. 1257). Guidetto built the upper facade of Lucca’s cathedral, the Duomo or Cattedrale di San Martino, and the Storie di San Martino (Stories of St Martin), a series of sculpted marble reliefs on the facade, may also be his work. The Romanesque basilica of Santi Giovanni e Reparata stands on the site of a 1st century AD Roman house and baths complex and a 5th century early Christian baptistery and church that served as the city’s cathedral until the 8th century. It retains an early Christian layout, with its three naves separated by re-used Roman columns. It is now a museum displaying the layered remains of the earlier structures on the site, excavated by archaeologists in the 1970s and opened to public view in 1992.
Size: 1963px × 2944px
Location: Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata, Piazza San Giovanni, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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