High above Gravedona, among the plane trees, the church dedicated to Gusmeo and Matteo stands, according to tradition, where two soldiers of the Emperor Maximian were beheaded: today it has the 16th- and 17th-century look of a rebuilding, with a vault frescoed by the Fiammenghino in 1608.
History
Tradition tells that Gusmeo and Matteo, soldiers of the Emperor Maximian, followed their comrade Saint Fedele along the lake and were captured and beheaded at Pozzano; their bodies are said to have been found on 11 September 1248 and to give them burial a first church was built in the 13th century, dedicated to Saint Fedele, perhaps a centrally planned building with apses on three sides and a vestibule (Lombardia Beni Culturali, UPEL). From the 16th century it was rebuilt: a first enlargement in 1533 reversed the orientation, with the facade demolished to make the presbytery. Bishop Ninguarda ordered the relics moved; at the start of the 17th century the sacristy and bell tower were made and in 1637, under Bishop Carafino, the relics were translated into the altar and the church took its present dedication. A tourist site dates the building to 1248.
What to see
From the avenue of plane trees you arrive at an 18th-century porch on marble columns and a simple gabled facade, with a stone portal; on the south side and in the apse you can see the terracotta single windows, arches and sawtooth cornice of the Romanesque church. Inside, with a single nave, chapels and a square apse, the highlight is the presbytery vault, painted and signed in 1608 by the Fiammenghino, that is Giovan Mauro Della Rovere, with the Glory of God the Father among musician angels and, on the arch, the four Cardinal Virtues; the stuccoes of the vault are by Giovanni Battista da Moltrasio, of 1632-1633. The polychrome marble altar keeps the saints’ relics. In the chapels are a statue of the Virgin of the Rosary, 18th-century frescoes attributed to Giovanni Battista Pozzi, a polychrome stucco niche with the statue of Pius V, and the chapel of the Annunciation with scenes from the Life of the Virgin. The 17th-century bell tower stands on the north side (Lombardia Beni Culturali).
Practical information
- The church is in via San Gusmeo, on a road parallel to the Regina that leads to the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
- We found no up-to-date official source for opening hours: to visit the church it is best to ask the parish of Gravedona.
Sources
- Lombardia Beni Culturali, Chiesa dei SS. Gusmeo e Matteo, Gravedona ed Uniti
- UPEL Italia, Chiesa dei Santissimi Gusmeo e Matteo
- North Lake Como, Church of Saints Gusmeo and Matteo
- Wikipedia, Chiesa dei Santi Gusmeo e Matteo entry.