What to See · Churches

Laorca cemetery and church of San Giovanni

Ramo di Lecco

The cemetery of Laorca lies north of Lecco, at the foot of Monte Medale, in a natural amphitheatre of rock spurs and caves. Inside are a church mentioned in 1289, a crypt-like Scurolo with ex-votos, a 17th-century ossuary and chapels of industrial families: it is recognised as a national monument and belongs to the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) route.

History

Laorca is now a district of Lecco, but in the Middle Ages it was a small centre very active in iron-working, with mills, wire-drawing works and forges that drew labour from nearby villages. Just above the village burials were already made in the cemetery church of San Giovanni ai Morti, named in the Liber Notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani of 1289, and from the 17th century in the area around it too. A tradition placed in a wide cave above the dwelling of Saint John the Baptist, where water trickled that helped silkworm rearing; other water, which ran from the rock above the cemetery and was collected in a stone basin, served against eye diseases. The Scurolo too, a narrow space between the rock and the wall of the church, was venerated as the home of a hermit named Giovanni (so writes Wikipedia), and many ex-votos remain there.

In 1649 an ossuary rose beside the church for the dead of the landsknechts’ plague, the one Manzoni describes. Over the years the ossuary absorbed the Scurolo; in 1922 the whole was dedicated to the fallen of the Great War, and an avenue of remembrance was laid out in front. In 1765 a Way of the Cross was begun, similar to the chapels of the Sacri Monti: according to the blog Storie di cimiteri nothing of the original series remains and today’s chapels date from 1989, while Wikipedia recalls a restoration by Luigi Tagliaferri and, between 1985 and 1989, modern images painted by Paolo Gerosa. In 1930 the engineer Giosuè Todeschini built eight private chapels on the lower terrace, which by structure and decoration form a coherent whole.

In 1933, with the building of the new monumental cemetery at Malgrate, the closure of the neighbouring cemeteries was ordered. At Laorca the inhabitants rose up (according to Storie di cimiteri about 700 wrote to the Fascist podestà) and the cemetery stayed as it was.

What to see

From the centre of Laorca one climbs along the Way of the Cross to the complex. In the church of San Giovanni ai Morti Wikipedia notes frescoes of 1578 and a stucco arch of 1648 in the apse; among the caves are also a chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes and that of Saint John the Baptist, called the Chiesa ai Morti. The private chapels show Liberty-style tombs of the great local industrial families: Wikipedia cites the Falck (1922), Redaelli (1903-1908) and Bolis (1914) monuments. From the churchyard the view takes in Lecco and the eastern branch of the lake.

According to an article in LeccoChannel of May 2026, a widespread hypothesis has it that these very rocks inspired the background of Leonardo’s two Virgin of the Rocks; it is a hypothesis, not an established fact.

A restoration project

The complex has maintenance problems. In November 2024 Lecco Notizie reported damage to the staircase and the retaining wall from the roots of an old plane tree, water infiltration in the church and the risk of rockfall from the caves; the parish, the municipality and the Community Fund of Laorca and Malavedo had commissioned technical studies. On 21 December 2025, again according to Lecco Notizie, the council approved a project of enhancement, to be carried out in phases, with a first intervention on the churchyard in front of the church and still to be authorised.

On 15 January 2026 the project was presented at the oratory, and the municipality writes that it is developed also with the Politecnico di Milano (Lecco campus); Il Giorno adds that it is based on the thesis of two recent graduates. The figures do not match: Il Giorno speaks of about 500,000 euros for the first phase, while the note on the council decision reported by Lecco Notizie gives over 500,000 euros for the whole and between 98,000 and 153,000 euros for the first phase, with 40,000 euros from the municipality. We do not know how far the works have got: before setting out it is best to ask.

Practical information

The cemetery is in via Crogno, in Laorca. It remains a burial place and should be visited with respect.
We found no official source for opening hours. Lecco Tourism gives the municipal cemetery services: 0341 481291 and 0341 481362.
The district links with other places in Lecco, such as the basilica of San Nicolò.

Sources

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