The church of San Giorgio stands on a spur of rock above the lake, at Mandello del Lario, along the Sentiero del Viandante: it is a small medieval single-nave church, known for a 15th-century fresco cycle of the Last Judgement, Franciscan in inspiration.
History
The construction date is uncertain. The FAI sees signs of an early medieval foundation in the apse left under the presbytery and in the columns carved with ribbons and Greek crosses, and a marble holy-water stoup of the 9th or 10th century, mentioned by Le Vie del Viandante, confirms the ancient origins; the present building, with its gabled facade, trusses, masonry and single-light windows, dates from the 13th century according to several sources. Tradition speaks of a crusader returning from the Holy Land who is said to have had it built, and another legend of a Templar monk. The regional record notes that Goffredo da Bussero, at the end of the 13th century, does not cite it, and that under the 15th-century cycle frescoes of a slightly earlier phase can be seen: it infers a building phase at least 13th-century, followed by other works until the end of the 15th. The parish priest Don Paolo Bertarelli (1923-1951) saw, during the restorations ended in 1940, the foundations of an original semicircular apse. The pointed triumphal arch and the presbytery with its ribbed vault are of the first decades of the 15th century.
What to see
The interior has a single hall with an exposed truss roof, opening through a pointed arch onto a rectangular apse with a ribbed cross vault. Frescoes cover the nave walls, the triumphal arch and the end wall of the presbytery: the votive ones are all 15th-century, while the main cycle, unified and with a clear didactic aim, falls between 1475 and 1485. It draws on the culture of the Observance promoted by Saint Bernardino of Siena: on Judgement Day we will be judged on the works we have done and, above all, on charity.
At the top of the triumphal arch is Christ the judge among angels and the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah, with the nine angelic orders and the patriarchs. Either side of the Crucifixion at the back of the presbytery the Judgement unfolds. On one side the just rise and climb to heaven, received by Peter, Paul and Mary, along a hierarchy shown by the floors of a castle. On the opposite wall Minos judges the damned, who suffer various punishments, and a tree with dead branches holds the naked bodies of sinners of every condition, among them fishermen, bakers, notaries and dukes. On the south wall are the votive paintings.
Practical information
- The church is at via San Giorgio 8/c, in Mandello, along the Sentiero del Viandante, and according to the Comune it is accessible to people with disabilities.
- The Comune di Mandello gives opening on Saturday from 9.30 to 12.30 and from 14 to 17, with extraordinary openings to be requested from the Pro Loco; the regional record instead speaks of opening only on holidays with limited hours, and an older hiking site of summer visits on Sunday mornings. It is best to confirm with the Pro Loco.
- Further down is the sanctuary of Santa Maria Nascente in Debbio.
Sources
- Comune di Mandello del Lario, San Giorgio
- Lombardia Beni Culturali, Chiesa di S. Giorgio (record 1n070-00047)
- FAI, Chiesa di San Giorgio, Mandello del Lario
- Le Vie del Viandante, Mandello del Lario, Chiesa di San Giorgio
- Montagna Vissuta, La chiesa di San Giorgio a Mandello del Lario
- Wikipedia, Chiesa di San Giorgio (Mandello del Lario) entry.
