Basilica Autarena di Fara Gera d'Adda, Church building in Fara Gera d'Adda, Italy.
Basilica Autarena is a church in Fara Gera d'Adda with a single nave and polygonal apse. Its exterior walls feature flat pilasters connected by semicircular arches.
The church was founded in the 6th century by King Authari and was originally dedicated to Saint Alexander. A royal document from 883 confirmed this dedication and recorded its importance.
The name Autarena refers to King Authari, who built the church in the 6th century as an Arian place of worship. After the Bishop of Bergamo took the site a century later, it was dedicated to Saint Alexander and later to Saint Felicity. The polygonal apse still shows flat pilasters joined by round arches.
The church is located on Piazza Roma in the center of Fara Gera d'Adda and is easy to reach on foot. The site falls under the Archdiocese of Milan's jurisdiction and is open to visitors during standard hours.
The round-arched windows set into the polygonal apse were later made smaller than their original size. This shows that glass, once an ordinary building material, had become a luxury item after the Magyar raids of the 9th and early 10th centuries.
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