The bell tower is what remains of the ancient parish church of Saint Florian. We do not know exactly when it was built, however, according to the documents found, it can be concluded that the parish, commissioned by Bonifacio, father of Matilde of Canossa, was erected before his death (1052) in the place where there was a small chapel. The building was most likely built due to the economic and demographic growth of the village associated with the monastery and the consequent need for larger rooms for pastoral care, which it was appropriate to separate from monastic prayer. The parish is already mentioned in the papal bull of Pope Paschal II (1105) among the dependencies of the monastery as a baptismal church. Until the suppression of the monastery in 1797, Saint Florian was in fact the church for the people, while the basilica, located inside the monastic citadel, was for the use of the monks. On 25 March 1322 three altars were consecrated, dedicated to: Saint Florian (high altar), Saint Mary (on the upper right) and Saint Mary of Egypt (on the left side); probably in that period the church was restored. In 1676 a plan of the church was created by the land surveyor Simon Ferrari with a single nave, while the façade had a porch, pinnacles and rose window. Between the 1500s and 1600s all the chapels had probably been added, some of which were real oratories due to their size. The three main ones were those of the Company of the gonfalon, the Company of the Suffrage with 4 statues made by Giambattista Barberini and the Company of the Holiest, erected in 1578 and painted by Domenico Lippi. In 1799, after the Napoleonic suppression, the notary Luigi Ricci carries out the deed where he declares to confiscate also the old parish church, reduced to a straw warehouse.
Saint Florian bell tower - Turismo San Benedetto Po
Monastic Complex | Saint Florian bell tower - Turismo San Benedetto Po
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