The church of San Giacomo, at Spurano, is a small Romanesque church of exposed Moltrasio stone, on the Via Regina, facing the Isola Comacina. Its foundations rest partly on the rock of the shore and partly on two arches whose pillars sink into the water of the lake. Inside it keeps remains of very old frescoes, among them a large Saint Christopher, patron of pilgrims, who watched over those passing along the road.
History
The date of construction varies with the sources. The Associazione Culturale Isola Comacina says it can be dated between the 10th and 12th centuries; a Lago di Como guide refers it to the late 11th century and to a link with Sant’Eufemia on the island; another site speaks of the 12th century with a remodelling in the 14th. Camminacittà recalls as the earliest mention a deed of donation of 1169, the year of the island’s destruction. Bishop Ninguarda, in his pastoral visit of 1593, calls it the church of the «Santi Apostoli Jacopo e Filippo»: the dedication is also to Saint Philip. Camminacittà takes up the hypothesis of a devotion that passed from Saint James the Less to Saint James the Greater, the «Santiago» of the pilgrims to Compostela, a sign of the importance of the Lario route for pilgrimage.
What to see
Outside. The gabled facade is decorated with a series of small arches and has two oculus windows and one in the shape of a Latin cross; a band of small arches also runs along the roof pitches. The bell gable with two openings, later than the church, is probably of the 14th century (the archaeologist Monneret dates it no earlier than the 14th century). Since the mid-20th century the only entrance to the church has been the door in the facade; probably the original main entrance was the side one on the Via Regina, now partly walled up and reduced to a window. Above that opening is a 17th-century fresco on a red ground showing Saint James the Greater who, with his staff, seems to watch over wayfarers.
Inside. The interior has a single nave and a semicircular apse, and keeps remains of paintings in a condition, according to the Associazione, almost disastrous. On the right wall the oldest nucleus includes an Orant and a large Saint Christopher, which Camminacittà attributes to the first or second decade after the year 1000, of Ottonian taste; the fresco is right opposite the side door, so that wayfarers could see it from the road. On the left wall are biblical scenes in two registers: in the upper register, starting from the presbytery where the Last Supper is painted in a niche, the Washing of the Feet, Jesus in the Garden of Olives, the arrest and Jesus mocked; in the lower one probably a Deposition, the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah at the Oaks of Mamre and the original sin.
On the route
San Giacomo ends the Camminacittà route of Ossuccio and the Isola Comacina, after a stretch on the Via Regina; nearby is a sign for the Greenway del Lago di Como. The full walk is in the Ossuccio and Isola Comacina itinerary; the Greenway is in the dedicated itinerary.
Practical information
- It stands on via Statale Regina, at Spurano, a little south of the old core, facing the Isola Comacina.
- We have not found opening hours on an official source.
- Camminacittà notes four irregular stone steps, a grassy level patch with a small outcrop and two more steps to reach the little square in front of the entrance, and a low stone threshold to go in. In the surroundings there are car parks, bars and restaurants.
- Nearby: the Isola Comacina and the church of Santa Maria Maddalena.
Sources
- Camminacittà, sheet Chiesa di S. Giacomo (Ossuccio, path 1, stage 6)
- Camminacittà, Ossuccio path 1, stage 6
- Associazione Culturale Isola Comacina, Chiesa di San Giacomo, Spurano
- myLakeComo, Church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo
- Lago di Como, La chiesa dei Ss. Giacomo e Filippo ad Ossuccio
- OpenStreetMap, for the position.
