Santa Maria Maggiore, Lomello, First Romanesque church in Lomello, Italy.
Santa Maria Maggiore in Lomello has a nave and two aisles ending in apses, with a transept lower than the main body. Its diaphragm arches cross the nave, pierced by pairs of double mullioned windows with a small column and a bracket capital. Walls, pillars and capitals are all brick; the side aisles were rebuilt around 1300.
Archaeological evidence shows that two earlier churches once occupied this location before the current structure was built. The building received papal privileges in 1107, confirming its importance in the region.
The name Santa Maria Maggiore follows the Roman dedication to Mary as the principal Marian church of a town. A privilege of Pope Paschal II dated 22 August 1107 allowed the parish priest to wear the mitre and carry the pastoral staff and to confer certain minor orders, a rare concession that shaped the church's standing in Lomello. Fragments of figurative stucco decoration survive in the interior.
Access is seasonal, with the building open mainly during warmer months on weekends and holidays. Guided tours are available and provide helpful explanations of the architectural details.
The cross vaults appear only over the side aisles, not the nave, which marks a transitional phase before ribbed vaulting spread through Romanesque architecture. The diaphragm arches crossing the nave are pierced by pairs of double mullioned windows, each with a small column and a bracket capital.
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