Basilica di Sant'Abbondio, Como

A Church On The Road Out Of Town

The basilica stands outside Como's walls, below Monte Croce, on a stretch of the ancient Via Regina. The area held Roman cemeteries and, from the 5th century, two churches: Saints Cosmas and Damian, and the Basilica apostolorum. In the 9th century, four centuries after his burial on the site, it was dedicated to Sant'Abbondio, the patron saint of the diocese.

One local myth dies here. It was never the bishop's cathedral, although older local histories claimed so. Como's cathedral is the Duomo in the old town, which has its own page.

In 1010 Bishop Alberico installed Benedictine monks on the site. The diocese gives 1010, italia.it prints 1013, and we use the diocese's figure. The monks demolished the early Christian church and rebuilt it in Romanesque form. Pope Urban II consecrated the new building in 1095, when the choir vaults were probably still unfinished.

After the monks came Augustinian nuns in 1616, a suppressed monastery in 1783, and a seminary from 1834. The church survived because of its dedication to the diocese's patron. Since 1974 the former monastery has belonged to the Comune di Como and houses the Law faculty of the Università degli Studi dell'Insubria.

Scenes Of The Life Of Christ

In the first half of the 14th century the apse was painted with a large cycle. The diocese lists what it shows:

• Episodes from the Life of Christ
• Busts of prophets
• Kings of David's time
• Christ with Mary and Saint Peter
• Saint John the Baptist and Saint Paul

On the tribune over the entrance the diocese records the Stories of Saints Adalberto and Rubiano, which it describes as barely visible today. Know that before you go, so the faded panel does not disappoint after the apse.

How To Read Them

The frieze of palmettes and coloured fake arch borders running through the nave was painted at the end of the 13th century, slightly earlier than the apse, so you can compare two phases of the same century of painting.

The diocesan site offers a clickable visitor guide and a virtual tour, both useful for identifying the scenes before or after your visit.

The Plan And The Models

Five naves run under timber roofs on cylindrical pillars. A deep choir with cross vaults sits between two bell towers, a layout the diocese links to Saxon and Rhenish churches such as Essen, Reichenau and Hildesheim. Large cubic capitals belong to a wider tradition found in Burgundy, Provence and Germany. italia.it notes portals and windows decorated with geometric, plant and animal figures, and four half-columns survive from a two-storey porticoed atrium built in the 13th century and demolished in the 16th.

Relics of the patron saint lie under the altar, according to italia.it.

What Changed And What Was Restored

The 16th century brought a classical remodelling under Cardinals Paolo Della Chiesa and Tolomeo Gallio, and the beginning of a cloister. From 1863 Serafino Balestra restored the Romanesque form and found the early Christian foundations beneath. Antonio Giussani handled roofs, plaster and altars in 1928. A loss worth knowing: the 13th-century sarcophagus of Simone da Locarno was destroyed in 1609.

For a second medieval church, San Fedele inside the walls is the natural companion visit.

The diocesan info page, run for the basilica by the diocese's Centro studi Nicolò Rusca, prints Monday to Sunday 08:00-18:30. Italia.it prints 08:00-18:00 daily. The closing times conflict, so plan to arrive before 18:00 and you are safe under either figure.

Visits are suspended during services. The table sets out both printed schedules.

The frescoed apse and the exterior of the twin towers are the two fixed points, and the building sits at the edge of the centre, so the walk itself shapes your timing. Our estimates below cover the church visit only, not travel between sights.

• It was consecrated by a pope in person, Urban II in 1095, when the choir vaults were probably still unfinished (diocesan profile page).
• It was never the bishop's cathedral, despite what older local histories claimed (diocesan profile page).
• The two-storey porticoed atrium in front of the façade was demolished in the 16th century, and four half-columns of it still stand against the façade (diocesan profile page).
• Restorers found the early Christian foundations under the Romanesque church from 1863, when Serafino Balestra began restoring the Romanesque form (diocesan profile page).
• The former monastery next door is now the Law faculty of the Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, bought by the Comune di Como in 1974 (diocesan profile page).

The address is Via Regina 35, which italia.it prints as Via Regina Teodolinda 35, outside the walled city below Monte Croce. No official walking time or distance is published from the old town or the station, so check the map on this page or the Como map before you set out.

On the map the basilica lies south of the walled centre and Porta Torre, and south-east of Como San Giovanni station. Trains from Milano Centrale stop at San Giovanni, compared with the Cadorna line on the Milan to Como page. The Como San Giovanni station page covers the station's info point, which hands out city maps.

Driving, Buses And Access

For buses and parking, see getting around Como and Como parking. Dress code, photography rules and accessibility are not published on any official page, so contact the rector, don Michele Pitino, on +39 340 7325850 or [email protected] if you need certainty.

The church opens from 08:00, earlier than most sights in town, so one workable order is to come here first, walk back past Porta Torre into the old town for the Duomo and Broletto, then follow the lakefront past the Monumento ai Caduti and the Tempio Voltiano. Our Como in 1 day route and the lakefront walk cover the rest, and Brunate by funicular fits at the end of the day if you have energy. For eating and sleeping, see where to eat and where to stay, and for wet weather see our rainy day plan.

If you are extending beyond the city, browse day trips, the ferries and the Brunate guide, or walk up to see the Faro Voltiano above Brunate from outside, since it is closed.