medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Thursday, October 27, 2005, at 8:22 pm, Phyllis wrote:
> Today (28. October) is the feast day of:
> Fidelis of Como (d. c. 303).
This Fidelis has recently been moved, for Roman-rite Catholics, to 29.
October. See:
http://www.parrocchie.it/calusco/sanfedele/Calusco/Storia_Calusco.htm
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/29_ottobre
Whether Orthodox and other Christians who also venerate F. have adopted
the new date is not clear.
F. has an attractive twelfth-century church at Como (later medieval
additions; belltower rebuilt in 1906; facade and interior of the apse
restored in 1914), the Basilica of San Fedele. An aerial view is here:
http://www.corrieredicomo.it/img/SanFedele-aereo.jpg
Views of the facade in differing light are here:
http://tinyurl.com/9cdfx
http://www.inviaggionelmondo.it/Como/Como_SanFedele.JPG
http://digilander.libero.it/felice/Como/Chiese4.jpg
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/como01.jpg
The rear portal is noteworthy, esp. for its reliefs:
http://tinyurl.com/ap5ds
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/como23.jpg
Two view of the apse:
http://digilander.libero.it/sys76/Resources/sfedele2.gif
http://tinyurl.com/d6db6
The interior contains this font for holy water; carved from a
Roman-period capital, it is said to be of the eighth century:
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/como18.jpg
The damaged sculpture beneath it shows a human figure bestriding a lion.
There are also some fourteenth-century frescoes, e.g.:
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/como22.jpg
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/como08.jpg
A ground plan is here:
http://www.gacom.it/como/luoghi/pianta.jpg
A brief, English-language discussion is here:
http://www.textilecomo.com/4_13_3_eng.html
And a multi-page, illustrated, Italian-language discussion is here:
http://www.mondimedievali.net/Edifici/Lombardia/Como.htm
F. is also known as Fidelis of Samolaco, after the town in Sondrio
province near the supposed site of his martyrdom. That site, at today's
Novate Mezzola (SO), is graced by a little "romanesque" church called
San Fedelino:
http://www.valtellinaonline.com/english/discover/art/chiavenna.asp
http://www.vaol.it/DetRub.jsp?idrub=561
Back in Como province, the town of San Fedele Intelvi is another
testimony to F.'s cult. The "romanesque" portal of its church of San
Antonio is shown here:
http://www.lagodicomo.com/english/San_Fedele_Intelvi.php
Best,
John Dillon
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