Church of Sant'Orso and Cloister

A walk among the marble and frescoes soaked in spiritualism

When is it open: see the "for further information" section at the bottom of the page

What's not to be missed: the frescoes on the ceiling and the marble in the cloister

Where is it: Piazza Sant’Orso

Why?… Because it's worth it: you can silently slip into the heart of the medieval age

The Sant’Orso complex, which is one of the most important in the Alps, includes the Church of Saints Peter and Orso, the isolated and majestic bell-tower, the marvellous cloister and the Renaissance priory. The archaeological dig has enabled us to rediscover the different construction events surrounding the building. In ancient times the building formed part of a vast extra-urban necropolis where an Early Christian complex was erected at the beginning of the V century. The building of the current church is attributed to Bishop Anselmo (between the X and XI centuries).

The crypt and the important Ottonian frescoes (the upper part of the central nave) dating from that period survive to this day. The current architecture (the end of the XV century) is attributed to George of Challant. Worth noting, the Gothic seats in the choir (XV century) and the mosaic (XII century). The Sant’Orso cloister, a real “marble masterpiece”, is a place where you can feel the deep spirituality and the religiousness of the “ursino” complex. The building was completed in 1133. Built with 37 marble columns (the northern side was demolished

during the XVIII century and the columns replaced), which were subsequently covered in a protective paint that gives the cloister its current, curious colour, the monument is one of the best examples of Romanesque sculpture. The istoriato capitals depict scenes from the bible, tales or ornamental motifs or episodes from the lift of St. Orso.