Lombard Temple

Cividale del Friuli, Italy

The small church of Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle (also known as Lombard Temple), next to the Natisone river, is a notable example of High Middle Ages art sometimes attributed to the 8th century, but probably later. Included in the old Lombard quarter, it was probably used as Palatine Chapel by the Lombard dukes and king's functionaries. The fine decorations, statues and stuccoes (11th or 12th century) housed in the interior, show a strong Byzantine influence.

Cividale del Friuli, the capital of the first Lombard duchy in Italy has been present in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2011.Cividale del Friuli, thanks to the Lombard Temple, one of the most representative symbols of the Lombard power in Italy, has received this important award being included, together with other Italian cities that preserve prestigious Lombard evidence.

Address

Via Monastero Maggiore 36, Cividale del Friuli, Italy

See all sites in Cividale del Friuli

Details

Founded: 8th century
Category: Religious sites in Italy

More Information

www.tempiettolongobardo.it
www.turismofvg.it

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Cividale del Friuli Cathedral (0,1 km)
National Archaeological Museum (0,1 km)

Udine Castle (15,5 km)
Trieste Cathedral (56,2 km)
San Giusto Castle (56,2 km)
Miramare Castle (48,6 km)
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (36,4 km)
Udine Cathedral (15,5 km)
Roman Amphitheatre (56 km)
Villa Manin (36,3 km)
Gorizia Castle (22,4 km)

User Reviews

Giulia Maffucci (2 years ago)
With 4€ you can visit the tempietto longobardo inside the monastery. Take your time to visit this small jewel, mostly if you love ancient art. There are descriptions in Italian and English about the life of the nuns and about the temple and its frescoes.

Rudolf Schamberger (2 years ago)
At the moment there isn’t a lot to see as they are renovating. Besides the text on the boards are mainly Italian only. A bit disappointing.

Clint D'Souza (5 years ago)
Very ancient chapel in Cividale. Well worth a visit.

Supriyo Kundu (5 years ago)
Heritage UNESCO temple in Chividale.

Shane (5 years ago)
Beautiful ?

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Photo from Flickr, copyright marcoverch

Historic Site of the week

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.

Early fortifications at the site can be dated back to about 1000 BC. At about AD 1000 Ehrenbert erected a castle. The Archbishops of Trier expanded it with a supporting castle Burg Helferstein and guarded the Holy Tunic in it from 1657 to 1794. Successive Archbishops used the castle's strategic importance to barter between contending powers; thus in 1672 at the outset of war between France and Germany the Archbishop refused requests both from the envoys of Louis XIV and from Brandenburg's Ambassador, Christoph Caspar von Blumenthal, to permit the passage of troops across the Rhine.