The Basilica of San Giulio is one of the most significant monuments of Romanesque art in Novara: it can be toured just after landing on the Isola di San Giulio (Island of San Giulio) on Lake Orta. Access is from the side, just past the landing for boats from Orta, as the façade and a flight of steps providing access are directly on the lake waters.
History and tour of the Basilica of San Giulio
The basilica was founded by Saint Julius, who arrived in the area of Cusio and the lake with his brother Giuliano, in 390 AD. The two evangelists had escaped from Greece, precisely from Aegina. According to legend, Saint Julius landed on the island by miraculously riding his cape, and, after defeating serpents and monsters, founded his church here. The saint is buried inside the basilica and his remains are in a 17th-century urn placed in the crypt under the high altar. Works for a new, larger church started in the year 800. In the 10th century, it became a religious fulcrum on the Riviera of Orta, an independent fief in the area of Lake Orta. The apse represents the oldest part of the building, while the naves, two towers above the façade and the bell tower (separated from the body of the church) date back between the 10th – 12th centuries.
Inside (where there are three naves) there are frescoes and paintings from various periods, the most famous being the Ambon in Oira serpentine (local stone of a charming green colour) dating back to the 12th century (a rare example of Ottonian art) upheld by four small columns and decorated with six relief plates, dedicated to the four evangelists (Mathew represented by an angel, Mark by a lion, Luke by an ox and John by an eagle) and other allegorical zoomorphic figures.
Photo gallery Basilica of San Giulio
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