S Maria Assunta e S Cristoforo,

Viadana, Italy

Personal Reflection

Viadana is a quiet little town in northern Italy, on the border between Lombardy and Emilia Romangna. The nearest large town in Mantova, which is about an hour away by bus. S Maria Assunta e S Cristoforo - St Mary and St Christopher - impresses even before one enters the church, for as the visitor steps off the bus and turns the corner from the bus stop, he is greeted by a large, single golden arch that stands over the road in front of the church. The façade of St Mary & St Christopher's is in the baroque style and plain, except for two statues of the church's patrons and light decoration. Inside, the church is a revelation. The first thing to note is that it is not of great size; indeed, as far as church's go, it could fairly be called quite small - just like a country church. But this appears to have inspired the architects to use every available inch of space ad maiorem dei gloriam.

Where to begin? Perhaps with the delicately carved stations of the cross that line the marbled walls that speak of the fragility of life even as they proclaim the greatness of God's love for us, or with the like carved double sided confessionals that, in their old fashioned design, remind us of the eternal truth that forgiveness always awaits us when we brings our sins to God, or with the little niches with their icons nestled inside on either side of the side altars or even with the great portraits of those Saints who have made such an impact on the life of the Church through the holiness of their lives.

One might choose rather to admire first the handsomely decorated pulpit that juts out from one of the forward pillars. God's word is truly something great and it seems entirely appropriate that as it is spoken and expounded His people look upwards. Or, if one were to look higher still, one could attend to the fresco of the angels in the dome above the high altar. Interestingly, for one who attends a modern church where such things have been done away with, the Sanctuary area is divided from the main body of the church by a  solid railing that is covered by a decorated sheet, thus allowing one to receive communion on one's knees in a moment that is imbued with the echo of homeliness.

The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a side altar to the left of the Sanctuary. It - the side altar - can be hidden behind two great red curtains. There are also seats there so that one may stop to pray in the immediate presence of the Lord. To the right of the Sanctuary is a side altar, overlooking which is a wonderful piece of iconography: a gilded two-level painting (if you know the proper term for this work, please let the webmaster know!) of the Saints. At the centre of the work is the crucified Lord.

St Mary and St Christopher's church is a church that should not exist, at least, not in a small town that is not even on the Italian tourist trail: The intensity of its beauty, caused by the moderate size of the church, makes one feel that it would be more appropriately located in a great and important city. But this, of course, is the beauty of Christianity. It is never the religion of the great and powerful alone. It is also for the so called 'obscure' and 'small' (in fact, no one is either of these things before God). Indeed, it humbles the great and exalts the lowly. And this is what has happened in Viadana. This little town has shown her greatness by giving to the world a church that awes and inspires; she has - for this writer - rendered Love's beauty wonderfully visible. 

***

The city of Viadana has its own web site here. On the site is a brief introduction to the churches of the Viadanese, including St Mary and St Christopher. To read its introduction, click here. Caveat: the site is in Italian, so here is a translation:  

The church of S Maria Assunta e S Cristoforo - St Mary and St Christopher - is called "in Castello" because in the past it was situated within the walls of the little town of Viadana. From 700AD there are memories of an Oratory, dedicated to St Christopher situated in the same area where the church was later built. The area belonged to the territory of the city of Cremona, therefore the church, as well as most of the other churches has always been subjected to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Cremona. The church was never detached from his jurisdiction, not even when, in 1566, the Marquis Gonzaga tried to attach all their parishes to Mantova's diocese.

There is no information regarding the old church until 1522 when the head leaders of the 'Castello' decided to replace it with a new church. The construction, slowed down by difficulties, was resumed in 1567 when the architect Pompeo Pedemonte was called from Mantova to do the work. The church was finally completed including three Latin cross aisles with four Lateral Chapels as well as other chapels at the back.

In 1858 the work of restoration began and it lasted until 1887, which was the year of the reconsecration. The priest Antonio Parazzi, availing of few legacies, extended the church towards the east, collapsing the back chapels first, then the presbytery and choir, and transforming the façade.

At this point is a duty to mention the priest His Grace Antonio Parazzi: He was born in Viadana in 1823 as the son of a carpenter Nicola and Margerita Dall'Era. He became a priest in 1846 and ministered a small parish until 1853 when he became the priest of St Mary and St Christopher in Castello. He died on the 27th December 1899. He established the civic museum and released few scriptures and publications. He transformed the church into a real gallery where there are still works of Vivarini, Tassinari, Borgani and Andresino as well as some works from schools of the cities: Parma, Bologna, Cremona, Mantova and Verona

Back to Contents