San Siro di Struppa is a Romanesque-style church in Struppa, a neighborhood of Genoa. Benedictine abbey was founded here in the Middle Ages, entitled to St. Syrus of Genoa, who, according to the tradition, was born here. A church existed here, most likely, since the 5th century AD, but it is documented only in 955. In 1025 bishop Landulf I of Genoa gave it the Benedictines.
The church was most likely rebuilt in the 12th century, as testified by its Genoese Romanesque style. It received a series of modifications in the 16th century, in the wake of the new procedures established by the Council of Trent. Baroque elements were added in the 17th century. The Romanesque forms were restored in the 20th century.
The church was built in sandstone, without external decorative elements aside from the Lombard bands of the upper edges of the walls, present on every side. The central rose window of the façade was restored in the 20th century, replacing the Baroque window. In that occasion were also restored the triple mullioned windows of the bell tower, which has a height of 32 m.
The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by sturdy columns without decorations. The main piece of art is a polyptych of St. Syrus (1516), once attributed to Teramo Piaggio, now assigned to Pier Francesco Sacchi.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends. One of them narrates the origin of the name of castle derived from that of jester Becko for whom the Duke Stibor had the castle built.
Another legend has it that the lord of the castle had his servant thrown down from the rock because he protected his child from the lords favourite dog. Before his death, the servant pronounced a curse saying that they would meet in a year and days time, and indeed precisely after that time the lord was bitten by a snake and fell down to the same abyss.
The well-conserved ruins of the castle, now the National Cultural Monument, are frequently visited by tourists, above all in July when the castle festival takes place. The former Ambro curia situated below the castle now shelters the exhibition of the local history.