User:Drk26/San Giovanni Battista e San Pietro Church (STEZZANO)

The church of St. John the Baptist is the parish church of Stezzano, in the province of Bergamo; it is part of the vicariate of Dalmine-Stezzano.

HISTORY
As early as 1012, the presence of a church in Stezzano was mentioned, dedicated to St. Peter. The parish of Stezzano was established in 1250 and, from documents of the same period, it is learned that the church had the double title of St. Peter and St. John the Baptist and was included in the vicariate of Lallio. The first stone of the current parish church was laid in 1688 and the building was opened for worship in 1703. In 1723, the statues were placed in their niches on the facade and, in 1730, the main window of the same was made. The consecration of the church was given in 1863 by the bishop of Bergamo Pier Luigi Speranza. In 1935, the seat of the vicariate of Lallio was moved to Stezzano and the deanery was renamed accordingly. This vicariate, which, since 1957, included the parishes of Stezzano, Albegno, Azzano, Curnasco, Lallio, Roncola di Treviolo, Treviolo, and Zanica, was suppressed on June 28, 1971 with a decree from Bishop Clemente Gaddi and joined to the newly-formed pastoral zone X. The church passed on May 27, 1979 to the new vicariate of Dalmine-Stezzano. From 2019 to 2020, the exterior of the church was undergoing a major restoration work.

DESCRIPTION
Inside, one can find works of great artistic value, including a St. Peter in Glory, and the Stories of St. John the Baptist, executed by Enrico Scuri, the Beheading of St. John the Baptist by Giuseppe Diotti, the Baptism of Jesus by Domenico Carpinoni, the Circumcision of Jesus by Francesco Zucco, Elijah taken up in a whirlwind and the Resurrected Christ by Antonio Cifrondi, the Madonna with the Child Jesus together with saints John the Baptist and Peter by Nicola Melanconico.

Noteworthy are the 1703 carved walnut choir by Giovan Battista Caniana, the main altar with sculptures by Pompeo Marchesi, the sacristy with frescoes by Giulio Quaglio, and the 1708 carved walnut cabinet by Giovan Battista Caniana and his daughter Caterina. The statues decorating the facade were made by Pier Paolo Pirovano between 1726 and 1730.

Bell tower
The bell tower of the parish church, located next to the church, was built between 1737 and 1764 on the foundation of a pre-existing watchtower of the ancient castle of Stezzano. The bell tower, topped with a statue of St. John the Baptist covered in copper, created by Anton Maria Pirovano in 1767, is 68.60 meters high plus the 6.50 meter tall statue for a total of 75.10 meters, making it one of the tallest buildings in the province of Bergamo and among the highest brick and stone bell towers in Italy. It houses 8 bells in low A2 grave melted by the company Ottolina of Bergamo in 1953. It is noteworthy that the statue of the patron saint rotates with the wind, usually indicating the upper city when a disturbance is approaching. In 2017, it underwent an important restoration work that highlights its original features, such as the cornices, the singing angels, and the white marble clock, as well as the cleaning of the statue of St. John and his lamb.

Related voices

 * Stezzano
 * Diocesi di Bergamo
 * Parrocchie della diocesi di Bergamo

Other projects

 * Commons-logo.svg Wikimedia Commons contiene immagini o altri file sulla  chiesa di San Giovanni Battista