SHARRYLAND
The polychrome marbles of the parish church of San Giovanni
In Tremosine, the altars that a Florentine master of hardstone inlay created for this mountain church
Where is
What it is and where it is
The church is located and indeed gives its name to the municipal capital, Pieve di Tremosine to be precise. The sacred building stands not coincidentally on a prominence that in pagan times was the site of a cult: 'high place' that was meant to be visible from all the surrounding area and consequently exceptionally scenic for those who were there. The churchyard in fact overlooks an impressive drop, with the view sweeping over the Veronese shore of Lake Garda, under the ridge of Mount Baldo, from Malcesine to the tip of San Vigilio, with the coast of Sirmione on the horizon.
Why it is special
The parish church is the centerpiece of a complex of buildings that sits on the edge of the Tremosine plateau and therefore can be appreciated as a whole by looking out over the other viewpoints in the main town. Particularly noteworthy is the bell tower, which has maintained the forms of the Romanesque phase, with specific mention for the concert of bells, cast in 1821 by Cavadini of Verona. The church, so sober on the outside, proves so rich on the inside, a true treasure chest of sacred art: paintings, wooden furnishings and marble inlays, enhanced by the light of beautiful Murano glass chandeliers, certainly unique for a mountain church.
Not to be missed
The high altar in polychrome marble is the work of Domenico Corbarelli (1656-1731), representative of a famous family of inlayers originally from Florence. It was they who introduced in Lombardy and Veneto the art of 'Florentine mosaic,' which consists of juxtaposing pieces of stone following a reference design, which is why we also speak of 'commessi marmi' (from the Latin committere, to join). Corbarelli's specialties are naturalistic compositions animated by birds and butterflies with extraordinary colors. Also by their hand are the decorative panels of other altars in the church.
A bit of history
The term 'pieve' (from the Latin 'plebs,' people) refers back to the early days of Christianity and denotes the flagship church of a certain territory. A kind of mother church, which often stood on pagan holy sites to reaffirm the triumph of the new doctrine. This was also the case in Tremosine, so much so that the remains of a Roman altar are walled in the churchyard. The present church is the result of a long becoming: the first chapel, erected in the 8th-9th centuries, was replaced after the year 1000 by a Romanesque hall church and finally in the 16th century by the building destined to acquire its present form between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Curiosities
The early Christian church is believed to have risen on the site of a temple to Bergino, a mountain deity worshipped by the Cenomanian Gauls. This population had descended from beyond the Alps in the fifth century B.C. and settled at the expense of the Etruscans in the territories between the rivers Oglio and Adige, having as strongholds the pre-Roman settlements of Brescia (from the Celtic brig, 'hill') and Verona (from the Celtic, feronn, 'river'), and as neighbors the Insubri to the west and the Veneti to the east.
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