Le campane di Mazzo di Valtellina (SO)

The village of Mazzo has been the most important in this area of the valley since ancient times, when it was chosen as a religious centre. The new central church was built in the 7th century together with the baptistery, inside which the entire population was baptised for many centuries. The first official document in which explicit mention is made of the church dedicated to St Stephen dates back to 824, when Emperor Lothair praised the work of the priests. Nothing remains of this primitive church, as the structure was completely rebuilt in the 11th century, when it was given the title of collegiate church. The Romanesque church was full of wooden altars and precious frescoes, which still exist, but were largely covered by later Renaissance renovations. The parish was urgently restored at the end of the 15th century, when it had risked collapsing due to poor maintenance. In 1507, the magnificent medieval bell tower collapsed on the church, destroying the left nave and façade. The extraordinary portal was rebuilt in 1508, using the sanctuary in Tirano as a model. d' flat - e' flat - f' - g' flat - a' flat In 1522, work began to rebuild the bell tower, which was officially inaugurated in 1541. There is no record of the previous bells, when the famous Pruneri bell foundry cast the new concert of five bells in D flat major, one of the most successful works of the best bell foundry in the history of Italy. The five bells are ringing for the Sunday morning celebration. I am still very excited after shooting them, one of the most beautiful gifts a dear friend who lives in the area gave me. It was exciting to hear these 4338 kg of precious bronze ringing out in this magnificent mountain landscape. The church was again transformed at the end of the 18th century, when the old wooden ceiling was replaced and the high altar was also converted to marble along with the balustrades. The church was transformed to such an extent that it required a complete new cycle of frescoes, changing to a pure Baroque style. The oldest part was found under the baptistery, where the original 1400-year-old font still exists. #bells #church #catholic #bell #italy #mountain #view #tourism #cinematic #catholicchurch #landscape #viral