Capronno

Church of Sant'Ambrogio and Santa Maria Maddalena - Capronno

Site n.37 - Angera Open Air Museum

11th-19th century

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Capronno stands on a hill overlooking the hamlet.
The present building incorporates an older church dedicated to Santa Maria.
The bell-tower was included in the façade in the older structure; it is Romanesque in style (11th century) and was made with re-used pieces of worked stone, such as the lid of a Roman sarcophagus.
In 1993 in what is now the vestry – but was the apse of the preceding church – the remains of a series of frescoes were found, featuring figures of saints and a lion dating to the 15th century. Perhaps of the same epoch is a fresco of the Madonna and Child, repositioned in modern times.
A few remnants of a second fresco cycle have been discovered on the north wall of the original nave; they bear the date in which they were painted, 1578.
The church built in 1865 was redecorated in the 20th century by Paolo Rivetta and Enrico and Edoardo Volonterio, also responsible for the frescoes in the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta.
On the inside of the front wall hangs a late-16th century painting by an unknown artist, showing the resurrected Jesus with the angels. Another fine work is the Altar of the Madonna Immacolata in the left wing of the transept; it is beautifully carved in wood and dates to the late 19th century.

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