The church of Sant’Abbondio is the parish church of Mezzegra, in the comune of Tremezzina, at Bonzanigo, on a broad terrace with a view of the lake. It is one of the most notable 18th-century buildings in the area, with the vault frescoed by Giulio Quaglio, and beside it the old Romanesque church survives, today the presbytery.
History
The old church, with a single nave, was probably founded in the 12th century. What remains is the south side with its hanging arches, part of the facade absorbed into the sacristy, the foundations of the bell tower and a fragment of fresco in the attic. In 1593 Bishop Ninguarda found it with an exposed roof and the main chapel frescoed with God the Father, the evangelists and the twelve apostles, and with a porch on the facade used as a cemetery. In the 17th century the lunetted vault was made (from 1602, by Giovanni Antonio de Matti of Portezza), the choir, by 1659, and the side chapels, by 1670; the chapel of the Madonna del Carmine became the seat of the confraternity between 1670 and 1675.
In 1651 Bonzanigo was a vice-parish of the pieve of Lenno, and the parish was born on 9 February 1692, detached from the mother church of Lenno. The new building was begun in 1702, probably under the master builder Bleni, and consecrated in 1724 by Bishop Olgiati; the bell tower came later, between 1728 and 1746. The new church, with a single nave and four side chapels, was set across the old one, which served partly as sacristy and partly as parish house; the old presbytery became the chapel of the Confraternity. Above the high altar, in 1771, the statue of the saint and two angels were placed.
Later work includes the organ on the inner facade, in the early 19th century, a first restoration in 1858, the roof redone between 1956 and 1963 and the exposure of the Romanesque masonry in 1983. Facade and bell tower were restored in 1990-1991.
What to see
The facade is concave, with a double order of Doric pilaster strips and a triangular pediment; the stone portal has at its centre an inscription with the dedication. The bell tower, on the right, has a belfry with an octagonal drum. From the churchyard, according to the e-borghi portal, the eye runs from the Bellagio promontory to the Lenno gulf, between San Primo and the Grigne.
Inside, under giant pilaster strips, four chapels open: the Sacred Heart, the Virgin, the Crucifix and the Madonna del Carmine. On the vault is the Glory of Saint Abundius, frescoed by Giulio Quaglio of Laino between 1714 and 1716, with the four evangelists in the pendentives: a travel guide describes angels, saints and popes among little clouds, and a Trinity at the centre. Quaglio also painted the cathedral of Ljubljana. The high altar, with twisted columns, has the statue of Saint Abundius attributed to Stefano Salterio of Laglio, and stuccoes enrich the five black marble altars.
Beside it stands the old Romanesque church, whose facade has a frieze of hanging arches. Inside the presbytery, according to the regional record, there survive the chapel of the Confraternity, with 17th-century stuccoes and frescoes (the stories of Saint Abundius, the Last Supper, a wooden altar like a small temple on three levels) and the oratory of the Madonna del Carmine; the record does not say whether they can be visited.
Practical information
- The church is on the sagrato of Sant’Abbondio, in the hamlet of Mezzegra (via Sant’Abbondio 6). The parish answers on 0344 40277; Mass times are in the diocese of Como’s directory.
- We found no opening hours from an official source: a 2024 travel guide tells of finding it open, but another visit could turn out differently.