Exterior The exterior of the Basilica of San Zeno represents one of the most harmonious and homogeneous examples of
Romanesque architecture in northern Italy. The façade, built in tuff (similar to the
cathedral and
San Giovanni in Valle), dates to the last enlargement of the church in the early decades of the 12th century, although some elements, including the porch and the
portal, belong to the earlier façade from which they were dismantled and reassembled here with appropriate adjustments. Famous is the large central rose window known as the "Wheel of Fortune" because of its symbolism. The southern side, however, appears to have been built in different periods and in as many styles. The complex is completed by an imposing and elegant bell tower and by the surviving buildings of the ancient
Abbey of San Zeno, including the cloister, the chapel of St Benedict, and the
abbey tower.
Façade of the Basilica of San Zeno. Looking at the
façade of the Basilica of San Zeno, one can distinguish its division into three parts, which mirror the layout of the interior spaces: the two side sections corresponding to the aisles, running from the edges to the large triangular
pilaster strips, and the central section corresponding to the nave, lying between those pilaster strips. In the two side sections, the masonry is composed of blocks of
tuff, while the gallery is built in the same stone as the southern side. On the cornice beneath the roofline, simple corbels support double-arched
arcading carved with thin and low reliefs; above this is a
frieze carved in Greek marble by
Adamino, replacing the original. On the right side of the façade, centrally placed just above the gallery of windows, is a small tuff
bas-relief, stylistically datable to the early 12th century, in which three figures are crudely depicted standing among plants: in the center Christ with a cruciferous halo, to the left a saint, and to the right an abbot (now headless) with a crozier, offering the Redeemer the model of the church and the bell tower, completed with the belfry and with only two balconies on each side. It is possible that the model represents the church as it was designed in its extension, and indicates how the bell tower—begun in 1046 by Abbot Alberic—was intended to be built (or had already been completed). In the central part of the façade, two additional zones can be distinguished: the lower one, extending from the ground up to the frame of the great
rose window (the so-called "Wheel of Fortune"), which includes the
portal and the porch, and the upper one, with the rose window and the
pediment. The two zones are separated by a cornice of saw-tooth arches interrupted in the middle by the large Wheel. Like the side sections, the central one also ends with an arched cornice under the roofline and Adamino's frieze.
The rose window and the pediment created by
Brioloto de Balneo. On the
pediment of the
gable there was once a
Last Judgment depiction. The
rose window, the work of
Brioloto de Balneo, is decorated with six statues representing the alternating phases of human life, that is, of Fortune (in the Latin sense of "destiny"), and for this reason it is known as the "Wheel of Fortune". Designed by Brioloto, it is divided into twelve sectors by as many pairs of hexagonal red marble shafts, adorned with capitals of foliage and animal figures. At the center is a circle, or hub, open inside and crowned with twelve
lobes, while an equal number of larger lobes connect the paired capitals. Externally it is encircled by a three-stepped molding of white and blue marble, ending in a stone frame that links it with the plane of the pilaster strips. On the last marble step are rhythmically placed six sculpted figures in Greek marble representing the changes of destiny brought by Fortune: the two central ones, at the top and bottom, symbolize the highest prosperity and its utter loss, while the lateral ones show the intermediate passages—on the right the fall from happiness to misery, and on the left the return to a fortunate state. On the hub of the Wheel runs an inscription explaining the symbolic meaning: on the outside, «En ego Fortuna moderor mortalibus una. / Elevo, depono, bona cunctis vel mala dono.», while on the inside, «Induo nudatos, denudo veste paratos; / in me conidit si quis, derisus abibit». of the
Last Judgment graffito once present on the façade's pediment. The
gable, marking the exterior top of the central nave, is in white marble, thus contrasting with the rest of the church façade, built in tuff and stone, and with the seven pink marble
pilaster strips running across it. In 1905
Massimiliano Ongaro discovered graffiti on the
pediment depicting a large
Last Judgment. The historian
Giuseppe Gerola reproduced it in plaster cast and illustrated it in the ''Bollettino d'arte del Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione
. The work, attributed to Brioloto and Adamino da San Giorgio, is one of the earliest and most important Veronese depictions of the Last Judgment''. At its center was Christ enthroned with two angels beside him, Mary and St John the Evangelist. Below were the Apostles, and to the sides the elect and the damned. On the side of the elect,
Abraham holds them in his bosom; angels carry a king, a bishop, and two saints to heaven; and the dead rise from their tombs to the sound of angelic trumpets. On the side of the damned, angels drive them away with swords and sound trumpets of justice. Among the damned were a bishop, a king, and a woman. Five other women follow, one of them pulling the devil's beard. In the background, flames burn the damned while a devil punishes them.
The porch by master
Niccolò. The scene in the
lunette, created in 1138, attests to the birth of the medieval
commune of Verona. The
porch is signed by master
Niccolò and was created in the 12th century, although it is likely that later alterations compromised its harmony. It appears in a very simple form, without
splay, limited to covering, with a single-gabled
canopy, part of the five small pilaster strips of the façade, and leaving on each side, before the large pilaster strip, a resting area with two blind mullioned windows of the gallery. The canopy is supported by two crouching
telamons, upon which, as ideal continuations of the same columns, are carved bas-reliefs of the saints
John the Baptist and
John the Evangelist. On the arch stand out the Lamb and the hand of God in blessing, with a Latin inscription which, translated, reads: «May the right hand of God bless the peoples who enter to ask for holy things». At the base, two
stylophoric lions represent the guardians of the church, those who prevent the entry of unworthy souls (they are shown pinning down intruders beneath their paws), while the two columns symbolize "law" and "faith". Within the porch coexist three types of representations: sacred ones relating to the life of the saint, political ones relating to the birth of the commune, and profane ones represented by the months and their related trades. Inside, in the
lunette, there is a bas-relief depicting the
Consecration of the Veronese Commune, which, in addition to its artistic value, is also an important historical document attesting to the birth of the Veronese
medieval commune in 1138, the date of the work's creation. In it, the patron saint Zeno appears in the center while trampling on the devil, almost symbolically sealing the pact between the
milites (the feudal aristocracy, represented by the knights on the right) and the
pedites (the prosperous commoners, the emerging bourgeoisie). To the right of St Zeno stand representatives of the Veronese nobility and merchant families on horseback (the
equites), and to the left the representatives of the people, the armed infantrymen (the
pedites). In the scene, St Zeno hands a banner to the Veronese, a kind of investiture of sacred derivation. The relief is accompanied by a Latin inscription, which can be translated as: «The Bishop gives the people the banner worthy of being defended / St Zeno gives the standard with a serene heart»
. Below the lunette, Niccolò carved bas-reliefs representing the miracles performed by St Zeno: the
exorcism of the daughter of
Gallienus, possessed by a
demon; a man saved while falling into the
Adige with his cart; and finally the fish that St Zeno the fisherman gave away. On the inner and outer corbels of the porch are depicted the twelve months of the year, starting from March, with the typical works of each month. The twelve months reflect the twelve sectors of the Wheel of Fortune and the rotation and repetition of a cycle, the months and the seasons that endlessly follow one another.
The high reliefs at the sides of the porch , the work of master
Niccolò and his assistants. On either side of the porch and the portal are 18 high reliefs dating back to the 12th century, ten on the left and eight on the right, arranged in pairs under small arches and separated by a small pilaster strip, itself decorated with vegetal motifs and zoomorphic figures. The bas-reliefs on the left are attributed to master Guglielmo and his assistants, while those on the right belong to master
Niccolò and his workshop. The scenes in the bas-reliefs include both sacred subjects, taken from the
New and
Old Testament, and profane ones, centered on
Theodoric the Great. More precisely, on the right master Niccolò carved, from top to bottom and left to right: the
Expulsion from Paradise, the
First Parents, the
Birth of Eve, the
Original Sin,
God Creates the Animals, the
Creation of Adam, the
Hunt of Theodoric, and finally the
Damnation of Theodoric. Above the figure of
Adam, on the right side, is an inscription identifying master Niccolò as the author: «Hic exempla trai possunt lauds Nicolai» (that is, «Here one may find proofs of the praise of Niccolò»); however, the difference between the very high quality of the figures depicting the life of Theodoric and the simpler sacred representations suggests that only the former were by Niccolò himself, while the latter appear to be the work of stonecutters from his workshop. On the left, by contrast, the style is much more uniform, and thus it is generally believed that master Guglielmo may have been the sole author, as attested by an inscription placed on the upper frame: «Qui legis ista pie natum placato Marie salvet in etrum qi sculpsit sita Guillelmum. Intrates concti sucurrant huic pereunti» (that is, «You who read these words will piously appease the Son of Mary, who may eternally save Guglielmo who carved these works. May all who enter help this man who would perish»). The author represented, again from top to bottom and left to right: the
Arrest of Christ, the
Crucifixion, the
Flight into Egypt, the
Baptism of Christ, the
Magi, the
Presentation at the Temple,
Joseph Warned by an Angel, the
Annunciation, the
Nativity, the
Annunciation to the Shepherds, the
Duel between Theodoric and Odoacer, and the
Duel of Infantrymen. The art historian
Adolfo Venturi identifies master Guglielmo with
Wiligelmo, the celebrated author of the bas-reliefs of the
Modena Cathedral, while
Carlo Cipolla considered him a pupil of Niccolò, observing the similarities between the two styles; others instead have proposed that both sculptors were disciples of Wiligelmo. Finally, still on the left side, one can see on the large pilaster strip another relief depicting a female figure inside an arch bearing the inscription «MATALIANA». While scholars agree that this work cannot be attributed either to Niccolò or to Guglielmo, there is no certainty as to the identity of the figure. Some have suggested she might have been a benefactress of the abbey, while others have seen in the name a reference to
Matilda of Tuscany, who in 1073 donated some properties to the monastery. Alessandro Da Lisca, on the other hand, proposed
Adelaide of Burgundy, wife of
Otto I, believing that this figure is linked to the nearby duel scene, which, according to Da Lisca, represents her husband fighting against
Berengar II.
The portal . The main entrance of the basilica is closed by a
celebrated bronze portal made at different times, not precisely determined, by various master founders. It consists of a total of 73
bronze panels of various sizes fixed to wooden doors with large iron nails and arranged without apparent symmetry. Of these, the 48 largest ones (24 on each door leaf) measure about 56×52 cm, 42 of which depict scenes from the Old and New Testament, 4 show the miracles of Saint Zeno, and 2 serve as handles; on 7 smaller rectangular panels (about 50×25 cm), each contains a single figure placed between two small columns and a superimposed arch; 18 are even smaller and square (about 17×17 cm), representing horned figures and Virtues; finally, there are 7 other rectangular ones (about 45×17 cm), openwork in the form of a conical tower placed on a gallery, which serve as frames for the larger panels. The larger panels are neatly distributed in the central part of the door leaf, with each of the two leaves organized into three vertical and eight horizontal bands. Each panel was cast separately in small molds, a simple production method that made it easier to correct mistakes, different from the technique used in Germany, where it was more common to proceed with a single casting. The current wooden leaves are of
larch and measure 3.95×4.81 meters; they were most likely made during the extension of the church completed in 1138. As already noted, the panels are certainly the work of at least two different artists from different periods, more probably three. All scholars, however, agree in assigning to the so-called "first master", datable to around the first half of the 11th century, the Old Testament panels on the left door leaf, except for one New Testament scene and three others of the same cycle on the lower part of the right leaf. Regarding these panels,
Alessandro Da Lisca observed that, although the figurative details are rendered in a «rough and schematic» way, «the whole composition is admirable for its decorative effect and for its
vis drammatica». According to several authors, this first master (identified by some with a certain Stefano Lagarino) created the panels to decorate the entire portal of the earlier, smaller church, and that later, with the enlargement of the building and the portal, they were dismantled and partly reused, integrated with others by additional founders to be applied to the new, larger leaves; this theory would explain the evident disorder both from an iconological perspective and from the purely aesthetic juxtaposition of the various pieces. Da Lisca also identifies a "second master" to whom he attributes the panels with scenes of the New Testament, who, compared to the first, «shows remarkable progress, though achieving less intensity and effectiveness in expressing the sense of life». According to
Simeoni, this master was active in the time of Niccolò and Guglielmo, while Trecca places him between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. Finally, many scholars note the presence of at least a "third master", who may have worked between the late 12th and early 13th century, responsible for three scenes of the life of Saint Zeno on the right leaf. Over the years the portal has attracted the attention of many art historians who have analyzed its style in relation to earlier works;
Pietro Toesca defined it as «German art of the late 12th century», a characterization accepted also by others, such as
Arslan, who drew parallels with the medieval portal of
Hildesheim Cathedral. Despite appearing today disorganized, damaged, and a victim of time and theft, the portal is nevertheless generally considered one of the most interesting examples of this kind in Italy.
Southern side The southern side features various construction techniques and architectural styles that allow us to identify the different phases of the church's construction and expansion. The oldest part, completed around 1120, is likely the southern side, entirely made of
brick: this includes the small apse and extends to the buttress. The intermediate masonry section, on the other hand, alternates courses of
tuff blocks with courses of brick: this technique gives the wall a bichrome banded appearance of white and red typical of Veronese Romanesque, also found in other churches such as
Santo Stefano. Similarly, the side of the central nave appears with bichrome bands, though more uniform. The end of this intervention should be dated to 1138. The last section, the one closest to the facade, is entirely made of tuff and is believed to date back to the final phase of the church, when the 13th-century expansion directed by Adamino and Brioloto took place, bringing the building to its present size. Also on the eastern side, near the facade, a long inscription celebrates Abbot Gerardo, patron of the expansion works, and a certain Martino, master mason. Just above this inscription, inside a niche, there is a fresco depicting the
Madonna with Child in half-figure, created around the second half of the 12th century and poorly restored in the 20th century.
Apse area San Zeno Basilica ends to the north with two
apses, a smaller one on the left and a larger one in the center, while the right apse was incorporated into the old convent buildings and is visible only internally. The two externally visible apses are clearly from different periods: according to historian
Luigi Simeoni, the smaller one dates back to the 9th-century construction, during the time of Raterio and Pipino, while the central one was later rebuilt, excluding any further intermediate modification. Although some elements suggested that the current main apse dates to the time of the Emilei abbots, the discovery of the building journal allowed the renovation works to be dated between 1386 and 1398, carried out thanks to the commitment of abbots Ottonello, Jacopo Pasti, and Pietro Paolo Cappelli. Externally, the smaller apse appears simple and mainly built of bricks, while the larger one presents the classic Veronese Romanesque scheme of alternating tuff and brick courses, masking its typically
Gothic style, which instead emerges clearly in certain internal elements, such as the
triumphal arch with a
pointed arch, the
ribbed vault with
projecting ribs from the square bay, and the tall windows ending with pointed arches.
Bell tower . The current
bell tower, isolated from the church and built above an earlier one dating back to the 8th–9th centuries, is the result of a long construction history. From an inscription on it, In any case, it is a fine work in good condition, painted on a gold background; in the outer quadrilobes of the cross are depicted, respectively, in the left arm the Madonna, in the right arm Saint John, in the top the Father with the Holy Spirit, and in the lower a devotee and a kneeling Dominican monk, believed to represent the patrons. The plaque bears the
Gothic letters «
I.N.R.I.» and on the crossbeam «MORS MEA VITA TUA». Station crosses were typical in
Early Medieval art since, at least before the
Counter-Reformation, it was customary during Lenten processions for the bishop and faithful to visit the various churches, called "station churches", to venerate the preserved cross. At the beginning of the wall is a fragment of a
fresco attributed to
Martino da Verona, active between the late 14th and early 15th century, believed to depict
Saint Benedict. Immediately after, embedded in the wall, is the aforementioned inscription praising master Brioloto which caused the erroneous attribution of the baptismal font. Continuing along the nave towards the chancel, one encounters a 16th-century
altar whose
altarpiece is a youthful work by
Francesco Torbido, created around 1514, depicting a
Madonna with Saints Anna, Zeno, James, Sebastian, Christopher; in the respective
lunette, by the same author, a
Resurrection showing the painter's connection with the master
Liberale da Verona. , whose
knotted columns may come from a 13th-century
protiro. Beyond the altar, some remains of frescoes, often overlapping, can be observed; these originally covered the walls entirely and were made between the 13th and 15th centuries by anonymous painters of the
Giotto school. Among them are
Saint Sigismund with a devotee,
Two scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas and a
Madonna enthroned with Child, attributed to the so-called second master of San Zeno, while the first master, active at the end of the 13th century, is credited with a
Saint Anne enthroned with the Virgin. The series concludes with a large
Saint Christopher from the 12th century. Later, on the same wall, there is an altar of uncertain origin; some believe that its columns might have originally belonged to a
protiro built in the early 13th century, possibly related to the door restored by Abbot Riprando in 1212, although Da Lisca rejects this hypothesis. The two bundles of four
knotted columns entwined with serpents were made of
Verona red marble and rest, on the right, on the
Lion of Saint Mark, and on the left, on the Ox of Saint Luke. Art historian Loredana Olivato Puppi notes that the style of these sculptures correlates with «similar works that master Nicolò and his school executed in the same San Zeno and the Cathedral». The columns support a
triangular pediment, probably dating to the 18th century, inside which is painted a
Saint Zeno. On the altar wall are some frescoes, mostly attributed to the second master of San Zeno, including a
Madonna enthroned with Child, a
Crucifixion, a
Deposition in the tomb, and
Presentation in the temple. Older, possibly 13th-century, are
Saint Catherine and
Saint Lucy.
Left Nave In the corner between the counter-façade and the left perimeter wall of the church, where the
carroccio di Verona was once located, there is now a large red porphyry bowl with a diameter of 2.27 meters and modest depth, in which the remains of the base of a statue that once stood in the center can still be seen. Originating from the ancient city baths of the 2nd century and missing its central base that held a statue, it was once located outside the basilica, on the southern
sagrato. Legend has it that it was transported by the defeated devil, by order of Saint Zeno, from
Syria to Verona, and that the damages visible today are the marks left by his claws. In 1703, Abbot Alvise Priuli, concerned for the safety of the bowl exposed to the elements and vandals, had a small building constructed around it, but in 1819, following the demolition of the buildings on the southern side of the church, it was relocated to where it still stands today. Continuing towards the altar, one encounters a long bare stretch of wall: in fact, until 1929, when it was demolished and sold to the parish of
Luserna, the main altar of the nearby Church of San Procolo had been located here for over a century. Of Baroque taste, this altar was made of colored marbles in green, yellow, white, and lapis lazuli, as well as a green marble slab where the relics of Saint Procolo were once placed; it was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Next is the new small altar of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and immediately beyond, on a pilaster, a 14th-century fresco depicting a
Madonna with Child. Just after, on the wall, there are the remains of an
Last Supper. At the door leading to the cloister of the adjacent monastery, there are around it some fresco fragments depicting various saints, while immediately after, a
Last Judgment of the 13th century stands out, a
Baptism Scene (according to some, a
Baptism of Constantine) attributed to the second master, and below them,
Madonna in Throne,
Saint John the Evangelist,
Saint Bartholomew,
Saint Mary Magdalene, and a
Holy Evangelist. On the next pilaster, there is a
Saint Elizabeth in profile, two
Madonna with Child on the front and on the other side a
Saint Dionysius from the 14th century. The next altar, dedicated to the Madonna and dating to the 18th century, contains in its niche a soft-stone statue of the Virgin, seated, holding the dead Child on her knees. The interesting sculpture, which can be dated around the mid-15th century, reveals a Germanic style. It was highly venerated in the Church of San Procolo, where in 1621, along with the altar, a chapel was erected for it, as known from the inscription on the
predella. The altar is composed of four black marble columns, between which are two small gilded statues of saints, placed in niches. Beyond the altar, some frescoes can be observed, including a
Saint Christopher, datable to the mid-14th century, and, beside the steps leading to the chancel, a
Martyrdom of Saint Stephen and a
Last Judgment with Christ between Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, an angel, and Saint Zeno.
Pontile-tramezzo over the stairs descending to the crypt. The parish area of the church is separated from the
chancel by a
pontile-tramezzo, which, with its modern
balaustra made of red marble and its ancient statues, dates back to 1870, when the central staircase was demolished and the side stairs restored. The old pontile consisted of a wall that rose much higher than the current one, as can be inferred from the frescoes above the arches of the crypt, which must have continued upward. This architectural element recalls the
iconostasis of the
Byzantine tradition. By closely observing the statues currently placed on it, which tradition attributed to Master Brioloto, traces of the original polychrome coloring can still be seen; the arrangement of the subjects, from left, is as follows: Apostles Bartholomew, Matthias, James the Lesser, Evangelists Matthew and John, Peter, Christ, James the Greater, Thomas, and Simon, and on the right, Andrew, Philip, and Thaddeus. Most historians believe that their creation is attributable to the same stonecutter, while others, like
Géza de Fràncovich, propose that they are the work of two distinct sculptors, assigning to the better of the two the figures of Christ, James the Greater, Matthew the Evangelist, Peter, James the Lesser, and Thomas. All, however, note how the figurative characteristics of the figures, that is, elongated bodies, almost contracted limbs, hair with numerous locks, and carefully rendered folds of clothing, suggest an influence of early German Gothic; this can be explained by the intense connections Verona maintained with the Germanic world during the time of
Ezzelino III da Romano, ally of Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and head of the
March of Verona in the 13th century. The only inscription that
Simeoni considers original is on the base of Christ, which, in small 13th-century Romanesque letters, reads: «vide tomas noli esse incredulus set fidelis», a phrase that can be related to the fight against the
heresy of the
Cathars raging along the Adige at that time.
Chancel of the Basilica of San Zeno. The
chancel is elevated above the basilica floor and is accessible via two staircases located in the side naves, then crossing the previously described pontile-tramezzo. The walls feature several superimposed frescoes from different periods. On them are inscriptions recounting events in the
history of Verona, such as the Adige flood of 3 October 1239, which caused the demolition of three bridges, the sack of the city by
Gian Galeazzo Visconti on 29 June 1390, and the earthquake of 1695. The chancel consists of the central area where the main altar is located, with extensions of the side naves on its sides, decorated with fresco fragments and ending in two small lateral apses, while at the end is the large main apse with the
choir. On the left wall, above the entrance to the
sacristy, there is a large painting attributed to
Altichiero or someone from his school,
the Crucifixion, and in the small left
apse the red and polychrome marble statue depicting the patron, called "
San Zeno che ride", made by an anonymous artist in the 12th century, which represents one of the most important icons for the people of Verona. To the right of the sacristy door is a votive panel depicting
Saint Zeno presenting the donors to the Mother of God, from the 14th century. On the right wall of the chancel are several 14th-century frescoes, among them recognizable are
Baptism of Jesus,
Resurrection of Lazarus,
Saint George and the Dragon,
Saints Benigno and Caro carry the body of Saint Zeno. The wall ending with the small right apse is perhaps one of the oldest parts of the basilica, as it is believed to belong to the 10th-century building, and it is the only original apse to have survived entirely. Inside it, in the 19th century, the altar called of the Blessed Sacrament was placed. In the
intrados of the apse, there are remains of a 14th-century fresco decoration. . Serving as the
main altar is the sarcophagus of Saints Lupicinus, Lucillus, and Crescentianus, all three
Veronese bishops, previously kept in the crypt. The presence of the saints' relics is attested by an inspection inscription dated 1808, engraved on the headboard. These bodies do not appear among those found in 1492, so their transfer from the original separate tombs predates that year. The sarcophagus is richly decorated in
bas-relief: on the front, in the center, a crucifixion between John and Mary and two angels; on the sides, two on each side, the four evangelists with their symbols writing; on the back in the center, Christ with two male figures; on the right, the gates of hell from which Christ frees some souls; on the left, two figures of a man and a woman. On the headboard, a hunting scene appears, with the first figure holding a horn in the left hand and restraining a dog with the right, while the other seems to prevent a lion from biting a lamb. Other figures are above. There is no clear evidence to date the creation of the sarcophagus, but according to
Alessandro da Lisca, it could be from the beginning of the 10th century. ,
San Zeno Altarpiece. The most important work placed in the chancel is
the altarpiece by
Andrea Mantegna, considered a masterpiece of
Italian Renaissance painting. The subject of the
polyptych is, in the upper triptych, the
Madonna with Child and saints and in the
predella scenes from the life of
Jesus. The polyptych was taken by Napoleon's French troops in 1797, and the upper part was recovered after several years, while the predella remained in
France; what is seen today
in situ is a copy, made by
Paolino Caliari, descendant of
Paolo Veronese.
Main Apse The current
apse, in Gothic style, is polygonal in shape and was built between 1386 and 1389; it is accessed through a large
triumphal arch, on which is painted an
Annunciation, the work of Master
Martino da Verona, commissioned by Abbot Cappelli and executed between 1391 and 1399, completed by some of his pupils during the time of Abbot Pietro Emilei. On the left wall, near the
pilaster, there is a clock dial with hours that can be attributed to the 15th century; a corresponding external dial existed, almost entirely disappeared. On the sides of the square wall there are simple horizontal decorative bands, some with scrolls in red, yellow, and black; the parts not remade are thought to have been created at the end of the 13th century. Also by Martino da Verona is a large
Crucifixion fresco at the back of the apse, superimposed on a
Saint Zeno seated on a rich throne, the latter commissioned by Marco Emilei (1421–1430) to a follower of Martino. The apse vault is entirely decorated with a blue sky dotted with eight-pointed stars, while the arches bear the coats of arms of Abbot Emilei. The
vaults are by Masters Giovanni and Niccolò da Ferrara. Beneath the apse vault, in Gothic niches, are the
Saints Peter, Paul, and Benedict.
Crypt Work on the
crypt likely began around the beginning of the 10th century and continued for about a century until the completion of the first Romanesque church, i.e., until the early 11th century. Soon after, the northern entrance was added. Damaged during the
earthquake of 1117, it was rebuilt during works carried out throughout the building between that year and 1138, and underwent further restoration around the end of the 12th century. Finally, in the first decades of the 13th century, it was aesthetically and structurally completed with the opening of the northern entrance. The succession of these interventions, various necessary adaptations, and structural compromises explain some irregularities observable in the vaults and columns. The interior space is divided into twelve naves composed of intersecting galleries: nine from west to east, six from north to south, separated by 49 columns supporting the arches that form the 54
ribbed vaults of the ceiling. Each
column has a carved capital, each different from the other. All capitals date back to the 10th century except for three that are reused elements from a previous Roman-era building. Among the subjects represented are floral motifs, animals, mythical monsters, some human heads, leaves, wreaths, and hunting scenes. In many of them, a clear influence from
Byzantine art can be observed. In the crypt apse lies the body of Saint
Zeno, kept in a visible sarcophagus consecrated in 1939, with his face covered by a silver mask and dressed in pontifical garments, while on the wall rests the previous cenotaph. Once in the crypt was also the sarcophagus of Saints Lucillus, Lupicinus, and Crescentianus, now located in the upper chancel, serving as the
main altar. Both the walls and pillars of the crypt were originally richly decorated with
frescoes from various periods; however, today only some fragments remain visible, often damaged or superimposed. Among them are: on the west wall, a fragment of a
Saint and, to its right, a depiction of the
Flight into Egypt; a
Madonna of Mercy with only the upper body preserved; a fragment of a
Crucifixion on a projecting wall; a
Holy Bishop believed to be the work of a mid-14th-century master; a
Madonna with Child and a
Crucifixion with the Virgin on the same pillar; a
Saint John and a holy bishop datable to the second half of the 14th century; another
Madonna with Child from the late 13th century placed on the second pillar on the left, above a semi-column. .
Adamino da San Giorgio, a local sculptor and also the author of the marble friezes on the basilica façade, in 1225 carved decorations on the access arches featuring non-religious subjects: fantastic and monstrous animals. Each arch has a double moulding; they are adorned with elegant floral
volutes and fruits. The outer band depicts animals and hunting scenes with dogs or beasts chasing or confronting each other, men attacking beasts, monsters, a stork killing a serpent, roosters carrying a fox, and other figures. The central bands meet on a small capital, and the arches above the simple central white capital are supported by a red marble shaft pierced by the union of four small columns. On the front of the capital is the Gothic inscription attesting the attribution to Adamino: «ADAMINUS DE SANCTO GEORGIO ME FECIT». Finally, the crypt entrance is closed by an iron grille considered very elegant. == Notes ==