The church of Santa Maria Nascente is the parish church of Erba, in piazza della Prepositura: in 1584 Archbishop Charles Borromeo moved the seat of the pieve here, until then at Incino, and today’s 18th-century building has a neoclassical portico and a modern perpendicular nave.
History
A church at Erba already appears in the 13th century in Goffredo da Bussero’s catalogue, the Liber Notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani, as a branch of the pieve of Sant’Eufemia d’Incino; the CEI census of Italian churches dates the first building to 1574. With Charles Borromeo, in 1584, the seat of the pieve left Incino for Erba’s historic centre, then called Villincino, Erba Alta having been discarded: some thirty parishes depended on that pieve, from Albavilla to Ponte Lambro (Wikipedia). A restoration of 1590 redid the roof and bell tower.
The present look comes from the 18th century: at the will of Don Antonio Meda the church was rebuilt with its plan turned by 90 degrees and consecrated on 13 June 1752 by Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli. An enlargement dates from 1839-1848, and in the 1970s a perpendicular nave was added, with a new consecration in 1978 (CEI, Wikipedia).
What to see
The front, to the west, has a portico with four Ionic columns and a triangular pediment, and at the centre the portal with a semicircular window and two niches. The bell tower is square, with one single window per side in the chamber and a low spire. Inside two naves cross: the 18th-century one, with pilasters, serves as a transept, while an original side chapel has become the presbytery. You notice medallions with the Nativity in the cave and with saints, two frescoes by Davide Beghi of 1928, the Supper at Emmaus and the Good Shepherd, and two canvases, one with Teresa of Avila transfigured and one with Saint Anne and the young Mary (Wikipedia). The CEI also notes fresco cycles, side chapels and a Rosary altar in the presbytery area. On the churchyard is a reproduction of the Lourdes grotto.
Practical information
We found no up-to-date official source for opening hours: to visit the church it is best to ask the parish of Erba.
Sources
- Chiese cattoliche italiane (CEI), entry Chiesa di Santa Maria Nascente, Erba
- Wikipedia, Chiesa di Santa Maria Nascente (Erba) entry.
