LarioLago di Como

What to See · Churches

Church of Santo Stefano (Menaggio)

Centro Lago

Menaggio →

Santo Stefano is Menaggio’s parish church and for centuries was the church of the pieve: the present building, with three naves and six chapels, was built between 1618 and 1699 on the remains of Romanesque buildings. It has frescoes by Luigi Tagliaferri of 1899 and a copy of a Madonna by Bernardino Luini, whose original is now in the Louvre.

History

The parish, archpriestly and collegiate, from the 17th century was the seat of a vicariate that included the parishes of the pieve, and the archpriest presided over the congregations of parish priests. A document of 1788 records five canonries at the church and 567 parishioners; in the territory were five oratories, named for San Giovanni Battista, Santa Marta, San Giacomo, San Carlo and the Assunta.

The works for today’s church began in 1618 on the remains of the earlier Romanesque buildings: the orientation was changed, turning the facade towards the lake, while the old Regina road ran behind the building. The church was lengthened to three naves and six chapels thanks to the donations of the wealthy Calvi family of Menaggio, and according to the regional record it was completed in 1699.

What to see

The facade is reached by a short flight of steps. The bell tower, square in plan and with a copper-covered dome, stands on the north side and is 19th-century; the five bells were cast in 1901 by the Pruneri firm. The interior is plastered and has three naves with side chapels. The walls were frescoed in 1899 by Luigi Tagliaferri (1841-1927), a painter from a family of artists of the Lecco area; in the apse vault is the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. In the presbytery two canvases by the Menaggio painter Castelli show Eucharistic miracles.

Above the altar of the Madonna, at the head of the left nave, is a copy of the Madonna and Child with an angel by Bernardino Luini, also called the Madonna of Menaggio. The original stood in the Rosary chapel and was ceded to the Austrian governor Karl Firmian in exchange for moving the prefecture from Tremezzo to Menaggio; it is today in the Louvre. The altar is surrounded by copper medallions with scenes from Mary’s life. In the right nave a large canvas of Saint George is by an unknown author, and the altar of the Sacred Heart has 17th-century stuccoes. Also noted are four inlaid wooden confessionals of the 17th century, perhaps by the carver Maggi, and a silver processional cross of 1539.

Practical information

  • The church is on via Annetta e Celestino Lusardi, in the centre of Menaggio, a few steps from the lake.
  • We found no official source for opening hours: it is best to ask the parish, which with those of Croce, Loveno and Nobiallo forms a pastoral community.
  • In the same town: Loveno, Croce and Nobiallo.

Sources

On the map

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