This masterpiece of medieval religious sculpture, a crucifix carved in the mid-1100s from a solid poplar tree trunk, with the arms added in alder wood, now hangs in the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio, a Romanesque former baptistery on the shores of Lake Como at Gravedona, Lombardy, Italy. Although it may be Lombardic, it is more typical of French or German sculpture and a similar crucifix in bronze is preserved at the Werden Benedictine monastery near Essen in the Ruhr, Germany.
Gravedona, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy: this masterpiece of medieval religious sculpture, a crucifix carved in the mid-12th century from poplar and alder wood, now hangs in the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio, a 12th century Romanesque former baptistery on the northwest shores of the Lago di Como. It was originally in the adjoining parish church of San Vincenzo but was moved during restoration work lasting from 1997 to 2000. Although the crucifix may be Lombardic, like most of the surviving frescoes in Santa Maria del Tiglio, it may be the work of a French or German artist from north of the Alps. It is similar both to a crucifix preserved elsewhere in Lombardy, in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Sondalo, about 98 km (61 miles) northeast of Gravedona, and to a bronze crucifix in the Imperial Abbey of Werden-Helmstedt, a Benedictine monastery near Essen in the Ruhr, Germany, around 850 km (528 miles) north of Gravedona. The Gravedona crucifix was carved from five blocks of poplar and alder. The body of Jesus Christ and the shaft of the cross were sculpted from a single solid poplar trunk, with the arms added in alder. The lakeside land occupied by Santa Maria del Tiglio and San Vincenzo was a sacred site from at least Roman times. The first Christian building, a baptistery dedicated to St John the Baptist, was probably built on the site of a pagan temple. The two churches both incorporate re-used Roman materials, including an altar and a fragment of 5th century floor mosaic.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Gravedona, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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