134. Excavating Back to the 6th Century

I don’t know about you, but when someone in one’s home town points out a monument or a landmark that goes back a few centuries or so, we stop and say “Oh that’s really old” and remain in perfect wonder that such a thing actually still exists.   You can imagine my surprise when the architectural studio I work for was given charge of the excavation of a village church, which up to then no one ever made a fuss about, but in effect was first built in the 6^th Century A.D.

That in effect is going back quite a few centuries which makes one wonder how on earth anything made of stone and mortar could survive that amount of time, but above all was allowed to survive with the care taken by simple villagers in a village of no great renown at all. 

The Village is Cappella Maggiore about 60 kilometres north of Venice and the Church is called The Holy Trinity but locally known by the name of the lane it is in “Mattarella” while others call it the Longobard Church referring the Catholic medieval Longobard warriors.  

During the excavations and reconstruction of the internal floors there was evidence of religious structures built in succession starting from the 6^th century right up to 1640 when the last documentation was known.

From the 6^th century up to the 1100s the village was continuously invaded and the church placed under attack but then some important noble families in particular the Longbards come to take up residence in the village and they commission “The Last Supper” to be painted along the left side of the wall.  The name of the painter was never known.  For the next centuries until 1411, the village and consequently the church is subject to violent wars and destruction, intensively cold winters, cyclones, earthquakes and even various outbreak of the plague.   

It was probably between 1411 and 1450 that the reconstruction of the church took place with its consequent consecration followed by a Turkish invasion in 1479 where 7000 people in the Veneto Region were massacred.  Shortly after in 1485 the cycle of paintings begin and is completed by 1511.  Again follows a period of war, destruction, earth quakes, floods and to crown it all the famous Plague of 1563-64 where the church was used as a quarantine spot.

The restoration by the Architect Remo Serafin which began back in 1995 and carried out through various stages of stripping is now entering its final phase, not without however, uncovering, as mentioned, the unexpected revelations of evidence of the religious structures which were built in succession starting from the VI century to the last documentation known in 1640. 

The following is taken from the report by the Architect Remo Serafin of ARS Studio.  A diary of the restoration works with relative pictures will be published on the Architect’s website in due course. Findings of remains during excavations may be viewed:  

 http://www.archiportale.com/Remo-Serafin/

In the XVII century, after the construction of the present Parish Church on the near-by hillside, the Church of The Holy Trinity was abandoned until the earthquake of 1936 which caused the roof  to collapse thus revealing the frescoes which until that time had not been visible as they were painted over by the lime that covered the walls during the period the Church was used as a place of quarantine for those infected by the plague.

During the 50s, in order to restore the church back to its liturgical use, inappropriate and hasty works were carried out without taking into account the historical stratifications, thus compromising in some way the possibility to interpret and date the remains with complete accuracy.  However, once the pavement of the main room which consisted of a layer of cement varying from 10 to 30 cm in thickness was removed, the foundation of the church dating back to the IX – X century was almost completely recovered.   Although this discovery could be expected as the frescoes could be dated to the same period as the foundation, the surprising thing was that beneath such foundations, evidence of a more ancient church with part of the Longobarda necropolis adjacent, was found.  

What has emerged is of fundamental significance in order to understand the evolution of the religious construction through the centuries considered important enough to determine the toponomy of the Longobardo settlement in replacement of the Roman Villa which subsequently, became known as “territory of the Chapel” or “Igo (vicus) of the Chapel”.

Another discovery worthy of note which occurred during the removal of the debris beneath the layer of cement of the flooring was when some, at first sight insignificant, small fragments of darkened clay drew the attention of the Architect, Remo Serafin, whose 30 years of experience had taught him that in certain phases of restoration, it is opportune that the presence of the Director of Works on the site be incessant.

To the disbelief of the labourers on the spot, the works were stopped in order to verify that whatever had been uncovered were the remains of a bell-pit, that is, a ring-like roofless structure for the baking of the casts within the liturgical area which was still in construction, used in the performance of a symbolic ritual with the intense participation of the local community who at times intervened with the contribution of small silver or gold objects to be fused into the metal of the bell.  All the structures used in this activity were covered by the final paving of the church.

The findings in the Church of The Holy Trinity ought to appertain to the fusion of the bell created during the reconstruction of the church in the XIV-XV century, and even if devastated in part during the 50s (maybe because their importance was not recognized), these findings seem to be in unison to a similar structure described in the “Liber de diversis artibus” of Theophilus Prebyter of the XII century, a technique used by the travelling melters in the construction of medieval bells which had remained practically unchanged until at least the XVI century.

Similar structures as identified in Friuli by the Architect Serafin, have never been equally documented in the Veneto Area, while they have been registered in other parts of Italy and in Great Britain, in particular that documented in Saint Oswald’s Priory in Glouster, (the Roman Glevum).  

Of the above mentioned findings, apart from the Monuments and Fine Arts Officer regarding the Architectural and Landscape of Eastern Veneto of Venice sections, the said Officer of the Archaeological section of Padua has also been informed who, after a survey, has indicated that further archaeological research entrusted to a firm registered with the same Office, should be continued.

The original project will need to be revised and updated, entrusting that to the economic effort sustained by the Parish of Saint Mary Magdalene, the contribution from the Municipal Administration together with other interested sponsors will be significantly added; anticipating that at least some findings, like the open pages of a book that narrates the life history of the community of Cappella Maggiore, will remain tangible witnesses through opportune works. 

The Archaeological Group “Alto Livenza” of Cordignano, through means of their President Sante Gai, has viewed the above mentioned findings and showing notable interest for the details of some of the findings has offered the availability of the Group in order to continue with the archaeological research under the supervision of the Monument and Fine Arts Office.

   

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