Church of San Giovanni Battista in Carzano

The church, designated as the parish church of Carzano during Saint Charles Borromeo’s visit in 1580, was built in the 18th century, the facade facing east, on the ruins of a pre-existing church. The facade is characterized by two orders and divided in three parts by Tuscan pilasters and four niches with statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, at the sides of the large window, and Saint John the Baptist (with a cross-shaped stick, a flame and a lamb) and Saint Ambrose. The portal at the top of a flight of steps, made of Botticino marble (17th cent.), belongs to the facade of the pre-existing church and is closed by a wrought-iron gate full of floral decorations.

The inside of the church is aisleless and characterized by a polygonal plan and a dome. There are two side altars: the altar of the Madonna, made of marble wood, which was bought at the beginning of the 20th century when the monastery of the Islet of San Paolo was demolished, and the ancient high altar with a “wooden but rather run-down” crucifix (Trotti, 1916). On the walls you can see four niches with statues of archangels. The altarpiece depicts The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. To the sides of the presbitery you can admire Our Lady of the Assumption and The Holy Family by Giacomo Colombo (18th-19th cent.). The ceiling frescoes date from the 18th century: the dome of the presbytery depicts The Baptism of Jesus Christ, whereas the frescoes over the nave of the church depict Stories of Saint John the Baptist and other biblical stories.

Masses timetable:
– Sunday at 8.20 am

During the masses the visits are interrupted.

Photos by: Linoolmostudio.it