20의 벨지오이오소가지 명소 & 주요 장소

A church in the Lombard Gothic style.

Unfortunately, this church of St. James on the Via Francigena was closed.

A memorial to the laundresses. Thanks to Willem VS for his excellent descriptions!

In the countryside between Belgioioso and the river Po, near the hamlet of San Giacomo della Cerreta stands the small church of San Giacomo, a destination for pilgrims because it is located on the ancient route of the Via Francigena, to which its name refers to another of the destinations of medieval pilgrims: Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In the past, near San Giacomo della Cerreta, there was the small settlement of Porcaria, whose name refers to the breeding of pigs, documented from the twelfth century and disappeared in the fourteenth century. The church is of Lombard art from the first half of the fifteenth century, it has a single room, entirely painted with votive paintings related to pilgrimages. In addition to the Madonna, Saint Roch and Saint James are repeatedly depicted, both in the guise of pilgrims, carrying a stick and a saddlebag. In the images of St. James, the characteristic shell that pilgrims collected at Cape Finisterre, on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, has been added as a sign and reminder of the journey made.

Inside you will see a raised choir with mosaic floors and striking sculpted capitals. The apse contains a beautiful 15th century fresco* (crowning of Mary). The left transept contains the precious 10th century Crucifix of Teodote, made of silver plates.

This masterpiece in Lombardy-Romanesque style was built in the 12th century on the remains of an older church, where the coronation of the Lombard kings took place. This tradition continued in the new building and it was here that Frederick Barbarossa was awarded the Iron Crown of the Kingdom of Italy in 1155. The importance of the building explains its façade** of light sandstone (and not the then usual brick), remarkably balanced and varied in its sculpted decoration. On the right is a Romanesque door. On the door lintel, Christ gives Paul a papyrus scroll and Peter the keys to the church.

According to legend, some pilgrims wanted to attend midnight mass in the city on Christmas Eve in 999, but due to the thick fog their boats could not cross the river. Suddenly, a man dressed in red arrived and promised that he would immediately build a bridge in exchange for the first soul to cross the bridge. The man in red was the devil, and only the Archangel Michael, who had come from the nearby church, recognized him. Michael pretended to agree to the deal, but once the bridge was built, a goat crossed it first. The bridge is therefore also known as the Ponte del Diavolo ("Devil's Bridge").

The covered bridge has its origins in Roman times. The current one was constructed in the 14th century and covered in 1583. Upstream of the bridge you can still see pillars of the original bridge, reconstructed after the Second World War. A memorial stone on the bridge tells that Albert Einstein stayed in Pavia for several months and loved the place.