SHARRYLAND
The Abbey of St. Andrew in Vercelli
A dream that wanted to touch the sky
Where is
What it is and where it is
Feet planted firmly on the ground with three wide portals open to the space in front. But immediately the pilasters rise toward the gable of the facade to continue even higher with the two turrets on either side. The stones of which the facade is composed, along with the stone and clay of the fields, speak of the surrounding area: blond stone, green stone, and dark serpentine. The whole is pure harmony soaring upward, inviting us to discover its perfect spaces inside.
Why it is special
St. Andrew's Abbey has great importance in art history because it marks a crucial moment in the spread of Gothic in Italy. The majestic nave is a masterpiece of solemnity with the cadenced flow of the arches, the curbs of the vaults, the windows and the splendid sculptures. More than an architecture created by men, it looks like a very pure space made of light and air crystallized in an eternal moment.
Not to be missed
Next to such a majestic church could only be an equally fascinating abbey. Among the rooms not to be missed are definitely the cloister and the chapter house. The cloister masterfully combines the simple but perfect nature of the lawn and flower beds with the architectural backdrops that surround it. These are warm and reassuring in the quiet repetition of the arches of the portico, but beyond one of the sides, the strong and energetic lines of the church return overbearingly and exuberantly, seeming to remind even within the abbey of their tension to life and heaven.
A bit of history
The construction of the abbey complex of St. Andrew, desired by Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, began in 1219. Chronologically, St. Andrew's was one of the first Italian buildings, after the abbeys of Casamari (1206) and Fossanova (1217), to adopt the Gothic style, a style that was avant-garde in the early 13th century. The Abbey complex must have already been completed in 1227, while the bell tower is later and dates from the early 15th century. It was built on the model of already existing but larger ones, detached from the body of the basilica.
Trivia
The construction of the abbey complex of St. Andrew, consisting of the basilica and the adjoining monastery, was completed in just nine years between 1219 and 1227 (the laying of the foundation stone took place on February 9, 1219.
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