The Church of Santa Maria di Loppia, located in the hamlet of Loppia in Bellagio, is of medieval origin.
Probably founded towards the end of the tenth century, it underwent significant changes over the centuries. The Benedictine nuns, owners of the property, built their convent in the immediate vicinity, the buildings were abandoned in the seventeenth century and the property passed to private individuals.
Currently the church is part of the park of Villa Gerli and is closed to the public.
The exterior, left in stone, reflects the characteristics of the Romanesque architecture of Como. The simple facade is without decorations, as well as the rest of the structure. Near the semicircular apse stands the bell tower.
The church of S. Maria di Loppia has characters of remarkable antiquity; the shape of the windows and of the apse, the absence of decorations and the material of execution support the hypothesis that the construction has happened in the last quarter of the tenth century. Originally it consisted of an irregular trapezoidal nave with a semicircular apse.
The windows on the sides are long, double conch, arranged at irregular intervals, four at noon and three to the north.
The windows of the apse, on the other hand, are larger. A small cross-shaped window on the facade has its counterpart on the back.
The church later became the property of the Benedictine monks who made some changes, ceiling the nave and building a small convent near the church.
In 1775 it became the property of the family Venini, who demolished the convent to build the boulevard of Villa Giulia.
It is currently located in the park of Villa Gerli, visible from the hamlet of Loppia but is not open to visitors.
Details
Via Melzi d'ErilLoc. Loppia22021Bellagio (CO) Italy