Saint Andrea Church, Nago-torbole, Italy

Saint Andrea church overlooks over the older part of Torbole. It was first mentioned in a document dated 1175. In 1183 the Pope Lucius III assigned it, together with the surrounding olive grove, to the Cistercian Abbey of Saint Lorenzo in Trento. In 1497 some of the properties of the Church were given for the support of a priest who would look after of the Torbole Community. In 1741 the curate of Torbole has been founded and in 1839 the church was officially consecrated.

After being ravaged by French troops in 1703, the church was rebuilt in the Late Baroque style, but some architectural elements have been recovered. This is proven by the dates sculptured on the base of the two rocky arches of the transept. From an artistic point of view the most important work of the whole church is the altar piece in the apse. It represents the martyrdom of Saint Andrea and it is the masterpiece of the Verona artist Giambettino Cignaroli (1706–1770). All the figures of the painting, really detailed and realistic, should have been conceived taking as models some inhabitants of Torbole. A painted vertical sundial can be seen on the church's lake facing wall and on the opposite side is a small cemetery. The parish Saint Andrea church is divided into three naves and keeps a fine wooden chorus. A significant element is the 18th-century canvas made by Giambettino Cignaroli representing the Saint Andrea martyr.

References:

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Media Salerno Project (5 months ago)
S. Andrea Historical News 1146 - 1155 (general term) The chapel of Sant'Andrea is mentioned for the first time in a will, dated in the month of November of an unspecified year between 1146 and 1155. Description The parish church of Sant'Andrea, facing south-east, is located at the top of a steep staircase, on a hill overlooking Lake Garda. The building was subject to several extensions over the centuries. The façade is marked by four Corinthian pilasters, concluded by a mixtilinear crowning and opened by an architraved portal surmounted by a blind window. The bell tower is set against the northern side. The interior is divided into three naves: the lateral ones end in two chapels, the central one in a rectangular presbytery raised on two steps and concluded by a polygonal apse.

Paulina (15 months ago)
It is true that we were not inside, but the location of the church among the olive grove makes it a pleasant place to take a walk and breathe from the city noise. The scenic Busatte-Tempesta route begins nearby

le difese del lago idro durante la grande guerra (16 months ago)
The church is nothing transcendental like the paintings inside but you have a nice view of the lake from the churchyard.

Francesco Della Valle (2 years ago)
The church is not that great but the view is really worth a visit. To visit absolutely.

Cinzia Ceccolin (2 years ago)
A truly enchanting and peaceful place. A magnificent view of the lake, a pretty church right on top of Torbole. Pargheggio paid very close, though narrow road that allows the transit to one car at a time. Pargheggio recommended the one next to the small cemetery, right next to the church

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

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In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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