Travel Tuesdays takes us today to La Basilica di San Zeno, the Basilica of San Zeno, in Verona.
While you can spot the bell tower of the Basilica in the distance from many vantage points in the city center, the church and tower sit outside the historic city center that Chris and I usually visit in Verona. The location has always seemed odd to me, since San Zeno is the patron saint of Verona.
Although it’s really only a 30 minute walk from where we normally stay, the weather is often too hot or too cold for that amount of effort when we’re enjoying the rest of Verona. (And, until this trip, I actually thought it was further away). As a result, even though Chris and I have visited Verona numerous times, we’ve only managed to get ourselves over to visit San Zeno twice, and the first time was only for a few minutes before the church closed. So it was only this past April, on our second visit to the church, that we finally got to spend more than a few minutes inside. It’s a beautiful church, originally built in A.D. 967 and then remodelled over the years (including rebuilding part of it that was damaged in the same earthquake in A.D. 1117 that heavily damaged the L’Arena amphitheatre. ) As a result of the different styles that used over the centries, it’s filled with a variety interesting murals and decorations, so it’s well worth a visit on this Travel Tuesday.
Photos and captions are below.
Enjoy.
Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
Exterior, Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
Bell tower, Basilica of San Zeno
Lion column, Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
Men on Horseback carvings, front of Lion column, Basilica of San Zen
Bell Tower seen from cloisters, Basilica of San Zeno
Cloisters, Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
Fresco, Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
Different layers of frescos from different periods, Basilica of San Zeno
Oldest intact Bronze-casted bell in all Christendom, Basilica of San Zeno
Altar, Basilica of San Zeno, Verona
San Zeno, patron saint of fisherman (and Verona)
24-hour clock, Basilica of San Zeno
Statues overlooking the main church area, Basilica of San Zeno
Crypt, Basilica of San Zeno
Rosetta window and shadow
Ceiling decoration, Basilica of San Zeno
Explain oldest bronze as church isn’t the oldest is it.
How did it get to this church.
The front of the church reminds me of one I saw in a western movie taken in Mexico someplace.
Mom, re the bell: there was a sign next to the bell that said it was the oldest surviving cast bronze bell, dating from the 8th-10th centuries (which predates the current church building, although I think the first church building there was built earlier). The bell is also unusual for having 8 sides, which the sign said corresponded to a biblical mention of “the eighth of eternity.” Historically, most early bells were melted down over the centuries and used for weapons, so maybe that’s why any potentially earlier bells were lost over time. However, this one at least claims to be the oldest surviving one.
My favorite picture was the Rosetta window and shadow. It is somewhere between mystical and spooky, maybe just plain nice.