The Parish Church of San Giovanni in Vespolate

Not to be missed

The walls show traces of frescoes depicting saints. They appear to date between the 14th and 15th centuries, but traces of 13th-century decoration suggest that the decorations date from the last phase of decorative campaigns that began as early as the 11th century. Particular is the 15th-century altarpiece, built of masonry and divided into two spaces by terracotta elements: in the tympanum is an Annunciation with a turreted castle, in the part below a Madonna seated on a throne, flanked by St. Maiolo (or St. Gaudentius), St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Francis of Assisi.

A bit of history

The first certain record of the little church is dated 1024. In 1132 it is referred to as a parish, on which eleven chapels depended between lower Novarese and the Lomellina area of Vigevano. Sacraments were held here for all the inhabitants of these lands. In 1361 the parish suffered severe damage during the battles between Galeazzo II Visconti and Marquis John II of Monferrato. To defend himself, Galeazzo Visconti applied the technique of "scorched earth," setting fire to the entire village and completely destroying the baptistery. In the 15th century services were no longer held here, but decorative campaigns began, part of whose frescoes we still see today.

Trivia

The parish church of San Giovanni has not only pictorial decorations, but also several popular engravings, on the interior walls and on the frescoes themselves. These engravings can be dated between the 17th century and the 20th century and for the most part were made by hermits who lived in a nearby dwelling. Some also give historical information or socio-cultural evidence, such as the entry of Don Peter of Toledo into Vercelli with the royal army in 1617, the stopping of the French in Mortara in 1656, the epidemic (referred to as "contagion") of 1721, or the strong storm of August 11, 1764.