Church of San Giorgio di Grosio

DESCRIPTION:
The Church of San Giorgio di Grosio is one of the most representative and interesting works of art in Valtellina. It dates from the thirteenth century and was first mentioned in a document from 1252. It stands in the historic centre of the village, near a small square with a characteristic fountain.  The building consists of a single space with a rectangular chancel and semicircular apse. It has a simple gabled façade, defined by two side pilasters and blind arches under the eaves. Simple shapes are also evident in the rose window and portal with a lunette, which has a fresco of the Descent from the Cross (early sixteenth century) by Andrea De Passeris. The interior features frescoes by Giovannino da Sondalo, Valorsa and other local artists from Ticino, Brescia and the Como-Milan area. These decorations are of great interest and the combination of works gives the church a unique charm. The chancel is covered by a groin vault decorated with frescoes of the four doctors of the Western Church – St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome and St. Gregory the Great – painted by Andrea De Passeris. This same artist also painted the fresco of Christ Pantocrator with the symbols of the four Evangelists, located in the apsidal conch, and the fresco of Christ with the twelve Apostles in the apse.  The church is a true treasure trove of art.