San Giovanni Domnarum, Religious building in central Pavia, Italy.
San Giovanni Domnarum is a church in central Pavia on Via Mascheroni, its facade set into a residential block and its entrance inside a courtyard. The 17th-century interior is a single hall with side chapels and a square choir; the 15th-century facade carries a terracotta rose window between two smaller ones. The bell tower dates to the mid-11th century and reuses Roman materials near the belfry.
Queen Gundeberga founded San Giovanni Domnarum in 654 as the first Catholic church built by Lombard rulers in Pavia. This establishment marked a turning point in the city's religious development under Lombard leadership.
The name domnarum means "of the women", recalling that Gundeberga founded the church in 654 as a place of baptism for women. In the crypt, frescoes dated to the 12th century show Saint Syrus and Pope Gregory I holding a volume, and Saint Juventius, the city's second bishop. A 15th-century altarpiece by Giovan Battista Sassi depicts Saint Andrew Avellino dying before the altar.
The church stands on Via Mascheroni in Pavia's historic centre, its facade built into a residential block, so the entrance is reached through a courtyard. The crypt lies entirely beneath the present floor and is entered by a staircase descending on the north side of the nave.
The crypt was rediscovered in 1914 after centuries of being forgotten, revealing ancient frescoes and building elements from different historical periods. This underground find showed how the church was repeatedly rebuilt and modified over time.
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