The former church of San Bartolomeo stands in the Castello district, on the hill where the Benedictine monks of Abbadia Lariana had their residence, a short walk from the Sentiero del Viandante. It was deconsecrated in 1970 and bought by a private owner in 2013, who was bound to use it only for exhibitions and museum purposes. No official source publishes visiting hours.
History
The story starts with the abbey. Around the year 800, beside the lake, the Benedictine abbey of San Pietro arose, which tradition attributes to Desiderius, king of the Lombards. The abbot had a church built next to his own residence, on the hill called Castrum Abbis, the abbot’s castle, now simply Castello. After San Pietro, according to the Pro Loco, it was the first church in Abbadia. The municipal tourism site dates it to the 9th century and counts it among the oldest religious buildings in the village.
Goffredo da Bussero, who compiled the Liber Notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani towards the end of the 12th century, already lists it among the churches in his catalogue. When Abbadia obtained its own parish in 1495, separating from Mandello, the church was assigned to the new one. The pastoral visit of Bishop Niguarda on 24 November 1593 describes it as a single nave with one altar dedicated to the saint, closed off by wooden railings, with one door and two round openings above; on the wall behind the altar were painted a crucifix and some saints, among them Bartholomew.
Between the 17th and 18th centuries the building was enlarged and enriched with Baroque elements. In 1700, according to the Comune, a sacristy, a small bell tower, a cemetery and a barrel-and-groin vault were added. The roof was rebuilt in July 1985, with regional and bank contributions. In 1970, at the request of the parish priest of the time, the church was deconsecrated.
In December 2013 the building was bought by a private owner, after approval from the Curia and the Soprintendenza. The condition was not to change its intended use, except for exhibition and museum activities. On Sunday 24 August 2014, for the liturgical feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, the former church opened to visitors with a historical talk by the parish priest.
What is there now
An article in Lecco Notizie from December 2022 describes an interior with paintings and statues placed in various corners, religious iconography such as Saint Christopher, protector of travellers and pilgrims, and Saint Francis, and a 1928 Moto Guzzi GT Norge. The same article, written when renovation work was almost finished, reports the intention of offering walkers a place to stop before setting off again. It does not describe opening hours or ways to visit.
On the route
The 2012 description of the Anello a Lago brings you here from the votive shrine at the top of via per Robbianico: turn left, following the «Sentieri» sign. Here, the source says, the loop’s own signposting begins. The full route is in the Anello a Lago itinerary.
Practical information
- In 2022 the property was still private. We have not found opening hours, fees or a contact on official sources: the sources place it a short walk from the Sentiero del Viandante, but a visit inside cannot be taken for granted.
- It is in the Castello district, between the San Rocco hamlet and Novegolo, below Robbianico.
- Nearby: the church of San Rocco and the village of Linzanico.
Sources
- Pro Loco Lario Orientale, Abbadia: la chiesa di San Bartolomeo (29 December 2012)
- Pro Loco Lario Orientale, Abbadia Lariana: monumenti
- Abbadia Lariana Turismo, Chiesa di San Bartolomeo
- Lecco Notizie, Abbadia: l’ex chiesa di S. Bartolomeo ospiterà eventi e mostre (26 August 2014)
- Lecco Notizie, Ex chiesa di San Bartolomeo ad Abbadia: il nuovo «santuario dei viandanti» (26 December 2022)
- Lombardia Beni Culturali, Parrocchia di San Lorenzo, 1495 - [1989]
- OpenStreetMap, for the position.
