After we had visit the Church of St Vincent in Gravedona, Italy, September 2018, we went next door to visit Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio.
This extraordinary Romanesque square-based, late-12th-century church has an unusual bell tower (probably added later), which is octagonal at the top and rises from the centre of the facade. Inside, high arched galleries allow in sunlight at the top of the church. Colourful remnants of frescoes dating to the 14th and 15th centuries depict, among other things, the Last Judgment. The heavy wooden crucifix is a fine example of Romanesque carving. The church stands approximately 800 m left of a boat dock, and is one of the most important Romanesque buildings of the province.
I can’t find out why the church was abandoned, but I should think St Vincent’s next door was a replacement, possible a bigger church was needed. To have seen the church with all the frescoes covering the walls, must have been amazing, a riot of colour. It is still impressive even with the small amount of painting remaining. After our visit, we visited Gravedona promenade to have a closer look at Lake Como, as we were only staying overnight. The next day we would be making our way to another lake, this time Lake Iseo and another island to visit.
Echoes of the Past 
What a most interesting find!
Yes, it was a lucky find, but it was an odd shape to take photos 🙂
Keep challenged!!
Oh yes 🙂
Nice photos! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for liking them 🙂
I wonder how long it took for something like this to be built… the stone work is amazing considering that it’s not just flat walls… those beams are impressive too!
This church is so old, it had a very different feeling than the church next door, very serene, and the wall paintings were amazing when you think how old they are 🙂